District reports construction progress at Carroll High, Willow Creek and Perry Hill; transportation center and CT site still in schematic design

Carroll High School’s new additions are in active use and Willow Creek’s new building continues to advance toward key milestones, district officials told the Board of School Trustees during a facilities update.

Why it matters: The projects will change where students learn and how district operations are routed (transportation center planning), and the board emphasized patience as construction continues while school opens Wednesday.

Progress at Carroll High and Willow Creek

Dr. Bidding, who leads operations and safety, said the district held a ribbon cutting for Carroll High’s new structures two weeks ago and staff have begun moving into the east addition. “We’re moving into those spots,” he said, noting the media center, weight room and new applied‑skills spaces were ready for staff at the ribbon cutting.

Willow Creek construction also showed marked progress. Dr. Bidding said the gym floor “is one of the upcoming milestones here coming up in the next month, 6 weeks,” and contractors have completed HVAC upgrades and are installing specialized floors for choir and band. He said many renovated spaces were emptied and reoccupied over a few weeks, crediting custodial staff and subcontractors for the pace.

Renovations and short‑term impacts

The district described three interior Carroll High areas where construction will continue during the semester: a converted construction/PLTW space, two new computer‑science or project‑based classrooms and an expanded radio/TV suite. The district hopes to open some remodeled rooms by the end of the first semester and said certain contractor work will occur while school is in session; crews will shift hours to reduce disruption.

Perry Hill preschool and playground

At Perry Hill, the board said a former central office space was converted to a classroom and staff have occupancy. A new accessible preschool playground was built with volunteer labor from United Way’s day‑of‑giving program and BF Goodrich; the district will install a turf surfacing next week, the board said.

Transportation center and CTE/alternative facility planning

District staff said the transportation center site work is narrowing in schematic design; planners are considering stormwater retention and how a new drive could separate parent and bus traffic. The transportation center is being planned to accommodate up to 120 buses, district staff said.

For the proposed Career and Technical Education (CTE) and alternative facility, staff reported continued site and program planning. Dr. Bidding said designers are refining internal spaces — culinary, welding, nursing labs and other specialized classrooms — and are exploring internal connections to the high school campus while addressing wetlands and drainage constraints. He described the images shown as schematic ideas, not final designs.

Board comments and transition planning

A board member thanked custodial staff and contractors for preparing spaces and asked for patience from families during the first days of school. Dr. Bidding said some contractors will shift to early morning shifts “so they can get 4 good hours of work in before the high school really gets busy,” reducing louder activities during student hours.

Taper: District officials said they will continue to provide photos and updates as the projects advance and will work to minimize disruption as students return.