About $300,000 will be spent to clean up a lead-contaminated former welding shop at Sunnyside High School and renovate it to a weight room, officials said.
Nearly $50,000 of the total price tag would be for a remediation process for lead residue found on the walls of the former welding shop, said Tom Hubbard, the Sunnyside Unified School Districtโs bond project manager. The shop had been vacant for about five years and no students had access to it, district officials said.
As the district sought to put the unoccupied room to use, it commissioned an environmental study, which was conducted in January. A Phoenix lab tested four samples and found lead levels that were โa little bit beyond the ranges which are allowable,โ he said.
The process to remove the lead residue would include removing hoods, ducts, lay-in ceiling tile and grid system, according to a bid submitted by Comprehensive Risk Services, LLC. The entire room would also be wiped down, deep cleaned and covered in primer, which would encapsulate any remaining lead residue.
The whole process would take about a month to complete, Hubbard said.
โCertainly, itโs not a situation where itโs a huge concern,โ he said.
The district also wants to upgrade the former welding shopโs air conditioning system, which he said is outdated. The renovation would cost anywhere from $100,000 to $150,000.
The welding program came to a halt about five years ago when the former welding teacher retired, according to Alissa Welch, principal of the Sunnyside Freshman Academy who oversees athletics at the high school.
The school could not find a replacement for that teacher, so the program eventually ended, she said.
โItโs very difficult to find a certified welder whoโs willing to work for teacher wages,โ she said.
The welding room had been left vacant for years because the school had hoped to revive the program, district officials said. But when that did not look like a possibility, the school considered options for how that space should be used.
The need for an additional weight room was obvious, Welch said. The existing one at Sunnyside High is often overcrowded.
There are two weightlifting classes happening on any given day with about 35 students in each class, she said. โTrying to cram 70 kids into one weight room was a problem.โ
Safely, the room could probably accommodate a maximum of 50 students, she added. And with school athletes also wanting to use the space for training, capacity was an issue.
โObviously, we want to promote healthy living,โ she said. โItโs difficult when you have to turn kids away.โ
The current weight room is also in a state of disrepair, Welch said.
โI can barely find dumbbells that match, let alone a space to work out in,โ she said.
The former welding shop is next door to the existing weight room, she said. A glass door would be put in to separate the two, but they could be combined to provide one big workout space, or closed off for classes.
With the $150,000 the district is planning to spend on equipment, the existing weight room would also benefit, she said.
โItโs exciting to bring it up to par,โ Welch said.
