Slowly but surely, Revelstoke's new high school is starting to take shape.
A tour of the new school construction site was given by Graham Construction to school district staff, the board of trustees and local media Monday afternoon, while 80 tradespeople (about 30 per cent are local) worked away on the building.
The site is definitely starting to look like a school. While tonnes of work still needs to be done, such as drywall, electrical work, plumbing and more, the overall design and spaces in the school are much easier to envision than even just a few months ago.
The tour brought the visitors along all three floors – to the new gymnasium, the shop class spaces, the library, the classrooms, multi-purpose room, science labs, staff lounge and theatre. The building is 56 feet high at it's highest point.
All the areas had a very open feel and large windows allowed for lots of light to get in. "There's natural light in every space that will be occupied," said school district superintendent Anne Cooper.
The building featured about $300,000 in wood, much of it custom built due to its length by Rona right here in Revelstoke,
"It's a non-combustible building even through we've got wood," said Ramsay Brunton, the senior project manager.
The school has two entrances – the main one is on Tenth Street, while the community entrance is adjacent the arena parking lot and will provide direct access to the school and theatre.
In addition to the large gym, there is also a smaller one for aerobics, as well as two change rooms. The theatre, which will be the last area to be finished, is across the hall, and features an orchestra pit and full backstage area.
On the third floor is the library, with a large communal area and computer labs outside it. Down the hall are the science labs and some class rooms, as well as a spacious teacher's lounge.
Construction has proceeded in an orderly fashion, going from one side of the school towards the theatre as work progresses.
Graham said the construction was on schedule, though they've had to bring in extra labourers to shovel snow.
"There will be a lot of long days and long hours to complete the job but we're confident we'll get it done on time," said Brunton.
The targeted opening date is Nov. 1, though the date is flexible depending on how fast (or slow) construction proceeds, said Cooper.
To see photos of the construction site, view the slideshow above.