BELLEVUE — For the first time, cool air was flowing last week in every hallway and classroom at Bellevue High School.

        The high school is nearly finished with a four-year, $3.7 million renovation that includes air conditioning the building. From the band room to the library to the gym, the top-to-bottom renovation touched nearly every corner of the 72-year-old building at 201 Center St.

Bellevue High School is putting the finishing touches on improvements that have ranged from waterproofing its exterior to updating athletic fields and installing new floors, plumbing and wiring. (Patrick Reddy photo) | ZOOM |

        “The school will be equal to any modern school in the area and should serve this community well for another 50 to 60 years,” Bellevue Superintendent Ora Cobb said.

        The project began in 1997 despite an obstacle. That June, Bellevue voters rejected the district's proposal for a 3-cent utility tax to improve school facilities.

        Without the tax increase, the renovations took longer than hoped and had to be phased in over four years. Most of the project was paid for with district funds, and the state stepped in this year with a $350,000 grant to help pay for the final phase.

        The big-ticket item was a new heating and cooling system, completed this month. The school has never had air conditioning.

        “In the late spring and summer, the heat was just unbearable,” Mr. Cobb said. “The climate for learning wasn't the best in the world. It should be much more comfortable now.”

Stephen Woods (left) looks through a microscope as Adam Boschert places a slide beneath the lens in the new biology lab. | ZOOM |

        Now that it has air conditioning, the district plans to look at adopting a year-round calendar next year. Students would start school earlier and let out later in the summer, with longer breaks during the year.

        “There was no way we could consider it before we got air in that building,” Mr. Cobb said.

        The district's calendar committee is expected to review the idea in the spring.

        Other improvements include new lights, floors, fire alarm system, plumbing and electrical wiring. The school's track, football and softball fields were updated, and the building's brick exterior was repaired and waterproofed.

        The school is restoring pictures dating back to the 1930s to chronicle its history and hang in a hall of the building.

        Principal Marian Sumner, who is new to the school this year, said she was impressed with the improvements.

        “When I walked into the building, one of the things that struck me the most was the fact that the building was older but in such good condition,” she said. “All of that creates an atmosphere of caring, and that carries over to the students.”

        Biology teacher Andrea Conley now has a new lab instead of sharing the chemistry lab. Her room — one of seven updated science and computer labs — has more storage, cabinets and safety equipment. And students now have lab stations with built-in desks.

        “It's pretty versatile,” Ms. Conley said. “I can still do the same experiments. It's just a whole lot easier now.”

        Only a few details remain. School officials expect the project to be finished next month.

        Band director Tim Kennedy said the improvements have boosted pride in the school.

        “It's like our house,” he said. “They take care of it better when it looks better.”
       

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