Construction is set to begin this month on a $48.7 million project that will replace nearly all of the high school in Fruitport, Mich.
Mlive.com reports that the three-year project will replace the 1950s portion of Fruitport High School —about 75 to 80 percent of the existing structure.
Funds for the improvements come from a bond proposal approved in 2016 by voters in the Fruitport district.
•Remodeling of an existing area into an art classroom and drafting/engineering classroom; completed by fall 2018:
•Construction of a two-story classroom structure; completed by December 2019
•Portions of the existing high school that held classrooms will be demolished beginning in December 2019.
•Construction of an auditorium; completed spring 2020.
•Construction of locker commons, media center and offices; completed 2021.
"When construction begins there will be a physical separation between students and contractors to ensure the safety and security of students," Superintendent Bob Szymoniak says.
Szymoniak says building the new space on the same site as the existing high school will save the district $30 million compared with a completely new building on a different site. In addition, the community was opposed to moving the high school away from the main Fruitport schools campus.
The architect is TowerPinkster.
