Vigo schools upgrade ahead of classes

With students scheduled to return to class August 14, upgrades to several Vigo County schools are wrapping up.

School officials said that, of the Vigo County School Corporation’s 29 buildings, 20 have undergone various maintenance projects over the summer.

“Some of those projects range from general maintenance projects to roofing projects to renovations of cafeterias,” said Franklin Fennell, facilities director for the Vigo County School Corporation. “We have a wide variety of projects that people should notice as they return to school.”

At Woodrow Wilson Middle School, crews have removed carpeting in the cafeteria, restoring the original floor in some areas and adding tile in others. Crews also removed carpeting from the cafeteria floor at DeVaney Elementary School. Fennell said that change is important.

“It does provide a fresher look, but it also helps with air quality in the school,” Fennell said. “Carpet obviously retains some items inside of it, and in the cafeteria, you can get quite a few different items inside that carpet.”

Workers at DeVaney have also added a wheelchair lift between the school’s gymnasium floor and stage, and crews are also building new classrooms to open around year’s end.

Meanwhile, at Fuqua Elementary School, workers have added new kitchen equipment and serving lines in the school’s classroom and have added other upgrades to cafeteria.