(courtesy Habeeb & Associates)
One of the three boilers at Triton High School. Mr. Christopher Walsh states that all three of the boilers were installed in 1999.
Interior Improvements at Triton High School
Triton High School’s ceilings are damaged by water, sagging down and stained. The middle school gym’s walls are covered in residue. The bathrooms and locker rooms are in poor condition. The utilities are nearing the end of their life expectancies. To find out how these issues will be fixed in a proposed $61,581,271 project, the Triton Voice sat down with Mr. Christopher Walsh, Triton’s Manager of Facilities and Grounds.
Walsh has been working in the Triton Regional School District for 25 years. He started as the head custodian at Newbury Elementary in 1996, before moving up to Triton in 2001. He said that the project is based around the Comprehensive Facility Report, an analysis of the building and grounds.
The document was first published by Habeeb & Associates, an architectural firm, in December of 2019. It has been updated twice, in June and September of this year. The revisions adjusted the estimated price of the project due to increased construction costs and material shortages during the last year. The project was originally about $55,000,000 in 2019; that number is now estimated to be $61,581,271 in total.
The parts of the project involving utilities is estimated to cost $24,364,475. This includes mechanical, electrical, fire protection, and plumbing-related repairs. Walsh says that utilities would mostly be upgraded (although some require replacement) during the proposed project. The reason that many parts do not require total replacement yet is due to their importance. Utilities are, as Walsh says, “mission critical”. The school cannot wait for a project like this when a pipe bursts or light breaks, so they are repaired as necessary when a problem arises.
Triton currently has three boilers, all of which were purchased in 1999. One was replaced in 2009, but the Comprehensive Facility Report says that the units are nearing the end of their life expectancies. Most of the electrical distribution equipment dates back to the original 1970 building, so the project would include an overhaul of that system as well. Many other systems will be replaced or upgraded, such as the fire alarms that the school has had since 1999 and the interior lighting that was installed in 2013.
Something that students will have a more physical relationship with is the upgrades proposed to the building interior. These upgrades are estimated to cost $10,323,198. One of the most notable changes would be an upgrade to the ceiling tiles. These would be more moisture resistant than the current ones which will reduce sagging and deterioration. Other changes include new toilets, along with renovations to the floors and walls in the bathrooms, locker room renovations, and new kitchen equipment.
When asked about what he deems to be the most necessary renovation, Mr. Patrick Kelley, Triton’s principal, said, “ it would be a new roof, windows, and doors. That would drastically help the space.” His long term hope for the school building is a comfortable space that invites people to learn.
Junior Parker Burns said he would like the project to “clean all the goo off the walls in the gym, or to fix the leaks.”
Senior John Sayles would like “cleaned filters for the water bubblers.”
Regarding time, Walsh said, “it’s an unknown.” Working with three separate town governments can make the project tricky; “it’s up to them,” he said.
However, even with issues caused by the pandemic and material shortages, Walsh says that Habeeb & Associates has done an excellent job. “It’s a total project, well planned out,” he said. While the project has been hampered by the pandemic, there is no doubt that it will be exciting for Triton when it happens.