Worthington School District hears construction update on Thomas High, new natatorium and Kilborn renovations

Mike Dingledine, an architect presenting to the Worthington School District steering committee, reported that the district’s major school construction projects are progressing and remain largely on schedule despite weather and supply‑chain setbacks.

Dingledine said the new natatorium is "almost topped out" and described it as a flexible 10‑lane facility with deep‑diving and water‑polo capacity and raised spectator seating. He told the committee that recent heavy rains briefly filled foundations; crews pumped them out and masons accelerated work to recover schedule.

The presentation covered Thomas High School’s new three‑story academic wing, athletic wing and the retained east wing that serves as swing space during construction. Dingledine noted the district opened the new academic spaces to students on the first day of school and highlighted features including abundant daylight, operable windows, science labs and teacher support spaces. He said minimum hallway widths are about 10 feet in most places and widen to about 15 feet in busier zones.

District staff and contractors have staged construction areas behind fencing and protected existing trees and lawns; Dingledine said the grass near the front of the school will be restored when work finishes. He credited staff, band directors and operations staff who helped move into the new spaces.

Dingledine also reported a supply‑chain problem: "Our flooring did not come," he said, noting the shipment had been confirmed multiple times. That missing flooring delayed installation of furniture and technology in some rooms; the team plans to schedule flooring installation this fall during a semester break to minimize disruption to classes.

On Kilborn High School, Dingledine said the renovation is more complex because it involves work inside an existing building; the project uses phased moves (finish one area, relocate occupants, then proceed). He said both Thomas and Kilborn are expected to be complete by late 2026 (the presenter referred to the schedule as "late '26").

To avoid a long permit delay on porch work, the project team separated the porch from the main renovation permit. Dingledine said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers typically takes six to eight months to issue permits for stream disturbances, and by splitting the permits the team avoided holding Kilborn work until that process finished. He said the separated permit for porch construction was expected in roughly two to three weeks, which would allow outdoor porch work to begin on schedule.

Dingledine closed by thanking district stakeholders and contractors for cooperation and invited questions from committee members. No formal motions or votes were recorded in the presentation.