WLV Middle School nearly ready to re-open its doors
Renovations at West Las Vegas Middle School are wrapping up, just in time to welcome students for a new school year.
Construction crews are currently working to make the final adjustments to bring the building into compliance with fire codes.
“We’re waiting for a few things to get finished,” said West Las Vegas Schools Superintendent Chris Gutierrez. “We’re moving forward on getting some windows fixed. It’s an old building, so we had some windows that were egress windows, but they didn’t open up to the full capacity that the new regulations state. We had to do some modifications to where they opened upwards instead of outwards.”
While crews are still working, Gutierrez said the district is already moving into to the building, and he plans to hold a reopening ceremony soon, though a date has not yet been set.
“We’ll have a grand opening so the community can come and see where their tax dollars are going,” he said. “Once (crews) know when the windows are actually coming in, they’ll be able to give me a final date.”
The remodeled school will house around 300 students, according to Gutierrez.
And while students and parents will likely notice many cosmetic changes, no changes are being made in how students get to and from class.
“Parent pick up is still in the front of the building, with bus drop off and pick up is in the back.”
The project, financed by the Public School Facilities Authority, has had its share of problems and delays.
As previously reported by the Optic, work was halted in 2017 due to concerns over the materials used for curbs and gutters.
Replacement of the building’s heating system caused further delays. Final touches are being completed on the heating system.
“We have a couple of valves that need to be put in and tested,” Gutierrez said. “The heating and cooling is working; they just want to put some three-way valves in instead of two-way valves.”
Gutierrez said the new valves will prevent the system from being overworked and will help ensure the district gets the full 30-year life expectancy from the heating system.
The renovations entail updates to the offices and conference room, cosmetic fixes to the existing building, as well as the construction of a new gym with restrooms connected to the locker room.
