Hard Hat News

East Campus Facility Renovation and Facilities Enhancement Project

Through the generosity of our community and diligent work and foresight of the Board of Trustees, particularly the Facilities and Finance Committees, WES is embarking on a large renovation and facilities enhancement project.

Our vision is to transform approximately 7,000 square feet into innovative learning and community spaces for our students as well as to beautify WES’s east campus facade over the course of several years. As WES continues to grow and thrive and education evolves, the work we do today is designed to provide a strong foundation for future facility improvements. By utilizing a multi-phased and holistic approach, this project will strategically accommodate a range of budgets and programmatic needs.

When we complete this renovation WES will have actualized a plan to improve and renew the east campus that started seven years ago with the addition of a turf field and later included the building of stadium seating and an early childhood playground along with the resurfacing of the parking lot and improving the outdoor lighting. This work will also fulfill several 2018-2023 Strategic Plan goals. The plan calls for us to enhance our physical spaces, provide a flexible and responsive learning environment for our students, and to ensure the long-term financial strength of the school.

The project scope highlights include:

• Utilizing our existing building footprint, specifically the east side of the campus 
• Maximizing the buildable area to create dynamic environments that meet 21st-century learning standards
• Improving the appearance of the exterior façade of the east side of the facility
• Building in sequential order so that WES leverages resources, limits costs, and curbs redundancies/inefficiencies
• Ensuring that the project supports WES’s long-term financial sustainability

The full renovation is anticipated to occur in at least three phases:

• Phase One: The building of a STEM space and the beautification of the north half of the east façade
• Phase Two: The creation of an additional flexible learning space adjacent to the STEM space
• Phase Three: Interior and exterior updates to the south end of the east campus that potentially could include a cafeteria and other community spaces

In the process, WES is updating the heating and cooling systems and the roofing across portions of the facility. These are important projects to provide the proper learning environment for all of our Dragons. 

We are incredibly lucky to have the space to dream big as well as the community and passion to do so! As this project develops, we will keep our community apprised of our work on this webpage.