Event marks high school expansion

District officials have planned an Aug. 30 ceremony to mark the end of the first phase of a $137.5 million project to expand and renovate Kingston High School.

The ceremony will be open to the public at 6 p.m. in front of the Salzmann Building, with parking available at lots off Andrew Street.

Officials in a press release noted the location will be the new main entrance that will feature an “historical KHS timeline on three of its walls. The timeline highlights building construction, time-honored KHS traditions, school clubs, significant happenings in U.S. history and a carefully selected compilation of photographs representing a century of moments shared among the high school community.”

The event will also feature the opening of a time capsule found in the cornerstone of the former Myron J. Michael Middle School building when it was demolished as part of the current project.

“The copper box, encased in engraved cement from 1937, will be opened by Board of Education President Nora Scherer, revealing the contents for the first time during the ceremony,” officials wrote.

District residents on Dec. 10, 2013, voted 2,265 to 2,082 in favor of the renovation and expansion plan, which included adding 181,400 square feet of space to the Salzmann building, demolishing the Tobin/Whiston and Myron J. Michael buildings; updating the high school’s main building, which faces Broadway; and creating new entrances for the Kate Walton Field House.

In March 2015, board members learned that state aid estimates for the project had included calculations based on obsolete parameters, with the actual aid only covering $95 million over a five-year period. The finding led to a change in the

schedule for work and the renovations of the main high school building that faces Broadway were moved to a second phase, though officials still hope to get state Education Department approval to speed up the project.

School district officials last month said that the first phase cost totaled about $80 million and still has $1.7 million remaining of a $2.12 million contingency account to cover unexpected cost.

The main building will be renovated to provide space student support services, special education administration, fine arts programs, faculty departmental workspace, and school administration.