The William S. Hart Union High School District has voted unanimously to add $1.4 million to the Castaic High School project.
Because of the need to finish construction at Castaic High School and the amount of unforseen rainy days, an additional $1.4 million was requested by Castaic High School Construction Inc. in order to complete the final construction projects in the school, according to Collyn Nielsen, chief administrative officer for the Hart District.
The funds, approved Feb. 5, were pulled from the Measure SA fund, a $300 million bond measure that was approved by voters in 2008. The district listed the construction of Castaic High School as its top priority with the measure.
The Castaic High School project has come to a cost of $130 million, which includes contract adjustments, according to Nielsen.
“The reason the money was added is because the scope of the project is nearing the end” said Randy Wrage, project manager for the high school’s construction. “There were a lot of changes to the CTE (Career and Technical Education) buildings, which are the focal point of the school.”
The CTE buildings were built before interior designs were completed, according to Nielsen. “We waited until a principal was assigned to the school to decide what was going to go inside,” he added.
It wasn’t until recently a design was finalized and construction inside the buildings can be completed, according to Wrage.
Some of the buildings will include advanced manufacturing, where students can learn skills in welding, and light manufacturing, and the others have equipment related to medical and dental assisting.
“Students will be able to take x-rays and other skills that will help them in the future,” said Nielsen. “They’re able to get certification in these fields before leaving high school.”
Both Nielsen and Wrage said the school’s construction is expected to be completed before the upcoming school year.
Construction of the school was approved by the district board in October 2016, and the school opened to a freshman class at the beginning of the 2019-20 school year while the final stages of construction were ongoing.
