Florida High School Begins $48.5M Renovation Project

Clearwater High School, part the of Pinellas County School System in Clearwater, Fla., has officially begun a $48.5 million modernization project. The school was originally built in the 1950s, and the project will involve demolishing 17 buildings around campus, constructing seven new ones, and renovating five more. The school system is working with the architecture firm Hepner Architects, Inc. and general contracting firm JE Dunn to complete the initiative.

The new construction will house amenities like an administration suite with multi-use collaborative space, a Central Energy Plant, a cafeteria, a media center, science classrooms, general classroom learning suites, ESE classrooms, and a new parking lot to be used for the school’s driver’s ed course. The football stadium will also get a new entrance and new synthetic turf for track and field facilities.

Renovation and remodeling work will include a new exterior and interior paint job; installing new HVAC equipment and flooring; converting classrooms into a new Family and Consumer Science room; and adding new ceilings, lights, flooring, and windows to several buildings. The plan also features a beautification element to the part of campus facing Gulf to Bay Boulevard.

JE Dunn Vice President Jake Nellis expressed enthusiasm that work on the project is finally underway. “We’re excited to be part of this significant renovation that will have a tremendous impact on the community,” he said. “The new façade will in fact be remarkable and will be a landmark in the [Tampa] Bay Area.”

The work is currently scheduled to be finished in fall 2023.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Year-Round Schools Require Year-Round Indoor Air Quality Planning

    While many schools are out for the summer, year-round schools follow a more “balanced” schedule with shorter, more frequent breaks spaced throughout the school year. Even though this offers educational benefits, these facilities have less downtime for building maintenance. This can become an issue when facilities managers overlook the importance of routine HVAC maintenance and air duct cleaning services.

  • University of Pennsylvania Releases Design of Future Physical Sciences Building

    The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) in Philadelphia, Penn., recently released renderings of an upcoming 350,000-square-foot Physical Sciences Building, according to news release. The facility was designed by CO Architects and will unite the university’s departments of Physics and Astronomy, Mathematics, and Earth and Environmental Science.

  • UT-San Antonio Begins Residence Hall Renovations

    The University of Texas at San Antonio recently began a $6-million renovation project to one of its residence halls, according to a news release. Originally completed in 1986, Chisolm Hall measures in at 120,860 square feet and is the oldest and largest residence hall on campus.

  • California High School Opens New Classroom Building for 7th-, 8th-Graders

    Santa Rosa City Schools in Santa Rosa, Calif., recently announced the completion of a new classroom building for Piner High School. As the campus transitions to a Junior/Senior High School, the facility will play home to the school’s new population of seventh- and eighth-grade students.