Farragut sees upgrades to several key areas of campus
While students and most of the faculty at Farragut have been enjoying a break for the summer, members of the maintenance crew have been hard at work on several projects around campus.
The maintenance crew that focused on summer projects, from left to right: Jeff, Rafael, John, Matt, Jay, Jose, and Craig.
“Each summer, we try to improve critical areas of the campus to make life better for the students, faculty, and staff,” said Head of Maintenance Matt Thibodeau, who begins his 15th year with the school this academic calendar.
The maintenance department has primarily focused on improving four classrooms in the Michel Building, transforming the old locker rooms outside the Huntley Gymnasium into the new scuba facility, and installing screens around the outside lab area of Coach Mike Nicholson’s science room. Other work, coordinated by Thibodeau but being completed by outside contractors, includes the installation of a new outfield fence on the baseball field and the pavement of the parking area next to the admissions building.
The scuba room has involved the most extensive work. What was once a locker room used by teams and athletes over the past few decades is now a shiny, new facility that will allow the cadets in the scuba program to thrive.
“It’s an impressive looking place now,” Thibodeau said. “We are on the finishing stages of it now but it was a fun project to undertake.”
The crew knocked down the dividing wall that separated the cramped locker room from the shower area, repositioned the water heater, installed a wall-to-wall smart board, created a new, single shower and bathroom, inserted new tile floors, and applied new paint. In addition, new lockers have replaced the old lockers on the outside walls.
Teachers and students in the four classrooms will see a brand new setting with new drywall inserted to replace older walls, window treatments applied, new ceiling tiles and lights overhead, and large smart boards installed.
The screen on the porch area at the back of Coach Nick’s room was installed to prevent mosquito bites, allowing the students to do their lab work undeterred.
“All of these projects will be completed by the time students and staff return for the start of the school,” Thibodeau said.
