West Haven Voice

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HS administration moves into new digs

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The main office and main entrance, which now faces the student parking lot, was turned over to the school system by Gilbane Construction this week. Facilities Manager Chris Everone talks with a staff member during the move into the new main office.

By Josh LaBella

Voice Reporter

West Haven High School Principal Dana Parades and other high school admin began their move into the newly built high school wing today.

Parades said the move was “a long time coming” and said she and the staff are “extremely excited and can’t wait to get in.” She added they were hoping to move in the first week of August and happy to see it came to fruition.

Parades said they should be finished moving into the newly constructed section by the end of the week.

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Above is the new dining area for students. Plans call for a piecemeal reconstruction of the complex, including new gymnasiums, classrooms and support facilities. Expected completion date is 2022.

A tour with Superintendent Neil Cavallaro and High School Building Committee Chairman Ken Carney saw construction crews hard at work on the classrooms, vocational shop classrooms, the cafeteria and media center which are slated to be finished handed over by the Aug. 19.

Carney said none of the progress would have been possible without the cooperation of all parties involved. He thanked the Board of Education, the Rossi Administration, the building committee, the city building department as well as the fire department.

According to Carney, he and the building committee were completing the project ahead of the deadline and under budget. He said they had saved half a million dollars on furniture and equipment and another $5.5 million on bids which allowed them to expand the cafeteria.

“At 39 percent completion our contingency was up from 4.7 percent to 6.6 percent,” said Carney.

Walking through the new building, Cavallaro said the climate control and natural lighting are “what struck him the most.” With the Cafeteria being finished soon, Cavallaro said they may host their next Board of Education meeting there.

When touring the kitchen, Sodexo General Manager Meg Kingston said she and her team were “so excited to get to work there.” She added the kitchen she and her team use in the old building has not really changed since she graduated from WHHS in 1981.