The Park City High School Classes of 2006, 2007 and 2008 will likely bear the brunt of the extreme makeover now underway at their alma mater. Hopefully, though, friends and mentors will dominate their memories — not jackhammers and piles of debris.
Plans for the high school remodel have been well publicized but this dramatic demolition phase must still come as a shock to students and staff each day as they return to school to see familiar hallways and classrooms reduced to rubble. Anyone who has had to endure even a moderate home remodel project should be able to relate to the aggravations and worries of trying to carry on in the midst of a construction project.
Remarkably, there have been few complaints, despite the dust, noise and inconvenience of trekking through snow squalls to get to portable classrooms.
Most seem to be focused on the finished project, an updated and expanded educational facility to match the Park City School District’s lofty goal of becoming one of the top school districts in the country.
But for those trying to study or teach, it must be tough.
The Park City Board of Education took a bold step in proposing a $20 million high school remodel, and district voters are to be commended for agreeing to a tax hike to support the project. No doubt, there will be days in the three years ahead when they may doubt their wisdom, but their foresight will be applauded when the new school opens in 2008.
In the meantime, district administrators and community residents need to dedicate a sympathetic ear to the students and staff at the high school and to quickly address any problems that arise.
Ensuring that a public project of this magnitude is a success will require the commitment of a network of experts along with an extra measure of inter-local cooperation. During the high school remodel, city officials and business leaders should be on the lookout for ways to help mitigate the effects of the transition and to offer the staff and students as much encouragement as possible.