“Our goal is to have the music wing ready for students and teachers to use when we return from winter break,” Johnson said in the email.
Final work on the music wing planned to take place over the district’s winter break includes a fire marshal inspection, to be followed by moving music equipment and classroom furniture into the new spaces, Johnson said.
Construction at McNeil High School has faced a series of unexpected setbacks. The discovery of caves underneath the site, which are home to a protected invertebrate species; permitting issues; and the addition of unplanned utility and site work have all contributed to the years-long project being more than $14 million over the original $28 million budget, a June 2018 audit found.
Additional, future upgrades to McNeil High School include a black box theater, an additional science wing, cafeteria improvements and classrooms for Career and Technical Education and Health Science. A handful of these upcoming projects are expected to begin in summer 2020, including locker room renovations and improvements to athletic fields and facilities, Johnson said in the Dec. 18 email.
