In the swim: Ringgold continues school upgrades
A major aquatic project on Ringgold High School’s campus is now a reality.
A natatorium housing a 50-meter swimming pool featuring a state-of-the-art filtration system, spectator seating, and renovated locker rooms recently opened for use.
The swimming pool and several other substantial upgrades at the high school are part of ongoing renovation and construction projects the school district has tackled over the past decade, starting in 2011 with renovations and an addition at the former Carroll Middle School, which became Ringgold Elementary School South.
In 2018, the $45 million Ringgold Middle School – which is adjacent to the high school and recognized in Learning by Design Magazine’s fall 2021 Architectural and Interior Design Awards of Excellence as an exemplary educational building – opened, at about the same time renovations were completed at Ringgold Elementary School North.
“Our goal, at all of the buildings, is to try to make it a comfortable and safe place for students and staff members, to make it a good learning environment,” said Superintendent Randall Skrinjorich.
Most recently, federal COVID-19 relief funding, coupled with financing, enabled the district to make significant upgrades at the high school, which houses more than 800 students.
The school district is completing the second of a three-phase renovation project at the high school, which was built in 1979.
Phases I and II, which cost a total of about $11 million, included renovation of the natatorium and locker rooms, the gymnasium, and art wing.
“We’ve replaced or upgraded basically everything from floor to ceiling,” said Bill Hoffman, Ringgold’s Director of Buildings and Grounds.
Windows were added throughout the building to add natural lighting in areas that previously had no windows.
Much of the renovations focus on behind-the-scenes upgrades, such as heating and ventilation systems, and electrical work.
The gymnasium and art wing, which encompasses shop classes, also were renovated. Air conditioning was added to the gymnasium, so every square foot of the high school is now air-conditioned.
A concession stand was built, new event restrooms and a ticket booth were added, and new bleachers, an electronic scoreboard and new basketball backstops and a new sound system were installed. The trainers’ room, too, was expanded.
Throughout the building, exterior doors and classroom doors were replaced and upgraded, and lighting and flooring were addressed.
Those projects come on the heels of renovation work that took place starting in 2014, which included construction of a security vestibule, installation of new athletics showcase display windows, renovation of restrooms, and flooring and ceiling work.
We’ve been doing projects pretty much every year since around 2011. It was needed,” said Skrinjorich. “A lot of our buildings were in bad shape back in the early 2000s.”
More changes are planned.
Phase III, which will address improvements inside the classrooms, isn’t expected to begin until at least 2025, depending on the availability of state funding.
Skrinjorich said the district feels fortunate to have a majority of construction and renovation projects completed, noting costs of construction materials and supplies, along with interest rates, have skyrocketed.
“Completing those projects was huge, and a big savings to the district since we didn’t wait to do them. It was done over a long period of time; it was planned out,” he said. “We were saving money before we even broke ground to cover the millage it was going to cost to renovate. But it was needed.”