Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. students returned to several facility improvements as they went back to the classroom last week.
BCSC Director of Operations Brett Boezeman said the district made several updates to all 18 school buildings this summer, including camera upgrades, new door locks, landscaping, restroom renovations and flooring replacements.
But it is the larger scale projects students may be more apt to notice.
A crew from Dunlap & Co. is tearing apart what currently exists of the Clarence E. Robbins Auditorium at Columbus East High School to make way for new seating, improved acoustics, updated lighting and better accessibility.
The project is a $3.8 million renovation of the 48-year old auditorium, funded by general obligation bonds approved by the school corporation in January 2018. As part of the renovation, the current 900 seats will be replaced with new, wider chairs — about 60 fewer — and the facility will also be made more accessible to individuals with disabilities with ramps at the sides to provide accessible paths to seating positions, side exit doors and the stage.
For more on this story, see Wednesday’s Republic.
