Old gym and school looking newer

It looks like a new gym, at least on the outside.

A large part of the new siding has been completed on the old Lake Roosevelt High School gym and, according to school officials, the new metal roof will soon follow.

Walker Construction, the general contractor, has indicated that the new metal roofing will be arriving from Montana in about a week.

Superintendent Dennis Carlson told the school board Monday night that the interior of the gym has been cleared of any trace of asbestos and games are already at play.

Driving past the gym reveals an entire new look with siding that matches the new school located nearby.

Siding continues to be placed, and rock masons are placing the stone wainscoting up about four feet on the exterior of the building and on what remains of the old high school.

The metal roofing was delayed when samples revealed that the color did not exactly match that of the new building.

Work had been delayed because asbestos had been found in the underlayment of the roof, and then further delayed when particles of asbestos were found inside the gym. That had caused sports events to be moved to the old middle school gym.

Fulcrum, an environmental firm, cleared the asbestos problem recently, and the outside siding, stone work, and soon the metal roofing, will move towards completion, Carlson noted.