Elizabeth Forward begins high school renovations
The project to replace areas damaged by the 2023 fire began with Friday’s groundbreaking.
Elizabeth Forward school board members joined district and high school staff members, along with students for a groundbreaking ceremony Friday afternoon. Mike Darnay / Mon Valley Independent
The Elizabeth Forward School District’s superintendent, board members and EF High School staff and students gathered Friday for a groundbreaking ceremony to mark new construction on the high school.
The project includes a new auditorium, a new gymnasium and locker rooms and a new main entrance and lobby. It was necessary because a fire in February 2023 severely damaged multiple portions of the school.
“Today really marks an incredible milestone for Elizabeth Forward High School. We break ground on a project that represents more than just rebuilding, it’s the beginning of a new chapter,” Superintendent Keith Konyk told the crowd at the groundbreaking. “One that represents the 19 months and one day since the devastating fire destroyed the spaces behind us, along with our mechanical room and a lot of other spaces and forced us into remote learning for two months.”
Students, board members, school and district staff stood in front of the construction site with shovels in their hands and dug into the ground, symbolizing the official start of the project.
The project is estimated at $52.9 million, with an additional $14.5 million earmarked for other costs. The school board has said most of it will be covered by insurance reimbursements.
According to Konyk, the gymnasium is expected to be completed by December 2025 and the auditorium should be done in August 2026. Due to upgrades on the lobby, it will be closed starting Monday.
“The auditorium, just because it’s in a new space, we’re waiting on some clearances and some permitting, stormwater management, things like that,” Konyk said. “So that will start a little bit later.”
Konyk said the district has been working on the renovation project since spring of last year. They sought the opinions of teachers and staff at the high school to learn what would work for them.
“These things are much more complicated than I think anybody realizes, especially with the fire,” Konyk said. “Normal construction projects are really challenging. But if you put on top of it, a fire that happened, and some of the other things that are related to that, it’s made it even more challenging. So getting to this point, it’s just that much more exciting.”
High school seniors Abigail Ross, Sydney Thomas and Caleb Meade are excited about the project and plan to come back some day and see it completed.
“Even though we won’t be able to use the facilities first hand, it’s exciting to know that whoever is using this, they’re going to enjoy it,” Meade said.
School board president Thomas Sharkey said he and the board are happy about the start of the project and that it’s been a long process to put it all together. Sharkey added that the 67-year-old high school was overdue for an upgrade.
“If it wasn’t for the decisions the board made over the last eight years, we wouldn’t be able to do this,” he said. “Yeah, we’re overdue to upgrade facilities. So today’s a good day. You know, the community and the students deserve better. I’ve said that since I got on the board.”
