Early construction that is part of a planned three-year, $12 million renovation project at four North Pocono School District buildings is underway.
At North Pocono Middle School's 1992 addition, guidance offices have been demolished, and the area is in the process of being converted into classrooms, Superintendent Bryan McGraw said.
The new classrooms will replace instructional space lost from relocating administrative offices to the middle school, he said.
The work is still part of the early phases of the renovation and is being done at night.
"The major work will begin when students are out of school for the summer," Mr. McGraw said.
This year will be the first of three summers during which the renovations are scheduled. The bulk of an expected $4.3 million worth of construction this summer will happen at the middle school, officials said.
Among that work, Mr. McGraw highlighted upgrades designed to make the building more energy efficient, including replacing the large "window wall" at the front of the building with a more standard setup.
When that part of the project is done, Mr. McGraw said each classroom at the front of the building will have a regular wall with "a specified number of windows."
Other upgrades expected to happen this summer include installing new heating and cooling systems and replacing some flooring.
Over the life of the project, other work is expected to include adding security vestibules to the middle school, the district's intermediate school, and Jefferson and Moscow elementary schools.
Also at the other three schools, district officials plan for a series of infrastructure upgrades, like updates to electrical and heating and cooling systems.
Contact the writer: kwind@timesshamrock.com