Hauppauge Public School District is in the middle of a $28 million renovation project that began in the summer and has carried over into the start of the school year. But despite some incomplete outward appearances, students are already using the new facilities.

Hauppauge Public School District began its renovations at the middle school and high school in February 2010. But over the summer, $14 millions was spent as construction workers labored simultaneously on 11 work locations on projects ranging from replacing ceiling and lighting fixtures to the building a new two-story science addition from the foundation up.

"I'm very pleased with how the project is going. We embarked on an aggressive construction plan," said Project Administrator Austin Gavin, representing the district on site. "It's difficult to do this work during the school year, so you have a condensed time frame during July and August to get things done."

Local residents can visibly see the ongoing construction of the science addition at the Hauppauge Middle School. It will provide four additional science rooms, two new offices and additional storage space when complete. Gavin said this was one of the larger additions totaling 4,013 square feet.

But there are many changes not visible from the streets that Gavin and general contractors Irwin Contracting of Hauppauge have been working on.

Those include:

• The second work zone was a kitchen addition and cafeteria renovation to provide additional elbow space for middle school diners. Irwin said the contractors started by building the 2,957-square-foot new kitchen during the spring before busting through the outer brick wall of the cafeteria to physically connect the spaces over the summer. The old kitchen was cleared out to create additional seating room.
  
  "The cafeteria employees had smiles on their faces when they saw the new serving area," Austin said.
  
  This space was put into use by students in grades 6 through 8 this September.

• The new music addition will be the largest addition made to Hauppauge Middle School, at 7,180 square feet. Scheduled to be completed this December, the area will contain new band room with instrumental storage, a new vocal room, offices and additional storage. New sound-proof practice suites fill out the layout for students' individual practice.
  
  "Some of the projects were larger in terms of the magnitude of the construction work, but there were no more or less important than the smaller projects in the technology room or nurses office," Gavin said.

• The locker room renovations, are in use by the middle school students but await finishing touches. The renovation included revising the laying, new coaches offices, new bathrooms and new equipment storage areas off the gymnasiums, according to Irwin Contracting. The project manager said at the Sept. 21 board meeting the district was still awaiting its second shipment of permanent lockers for completion.

• To keep up with the times, the middle school's second floor library underwent a renovation that enlarged its footprint. This provides space for a new computer room and work room. In addition to the expansion, Irwin Contracting's Project Manager J.C. Irwin said a new circulation desk, bookshelves and two first-floor computer rooms were installed.

• On Sept. 21, Gavin said the technology room renovations completes and are in use. The area provides new laptop storage units that plug and charge while at rest, and feature the new "white" board, a smart board installed in all academic classrooms.

• Another project, completed over the summer, fit the middle school nurses' office with a new toilet, teasing room and bedding areas that allows individuals to be separated by curtains and storage.

• In addition to the two-story science addition, science classrooms Rm-11 and Rm-12 will be renovated. This includes new work stations, cabinetry, plumping and more to match the new addition. Construction has yet to begin, according to Irwin Contracting, as students are using those rooms until the new-addition is completed then will switch to allow progress to continue.
  
  "All of the work is being done without impact to student occupancy," Irwin said.

• Lastly, the construction team are still replacing ceilings and installing new lighting fixtures. The project is widespread across the building with 70 percent completed over the summer.
  
  "There's one particular hallway where you can look down … there are two different hallways, one of which has the new lighting and the other has the old lighting," Gavin said. "It's a sharp contrast in terms of the feel and level of lightness. It's much lighter, warmer and inviting."

• Moving across to the high school, workers have updated 10 science rooms – four biology, four chemistry, two physics – to date with the middle school. Each room received new counter tops, laptop storage unites and smart board technology, J. C. Irwin said.

• The large undertaking at the High School is the auditorium renovation, which previously seated about 1,500 students, Gavin said. The revamped auditorium will have new ceiling, carpeting, a new sound booth and a variety of acoustic enhancements. It is scheduled to be completed by February 2011, in time for the spring performances.

With just under a year left to go, Gavin said the project is coming in under budget. He expects the school during this upcoming winter to consider borrowing the rest of the $28 million in bonds approved by voters in October 2008 to maintain a positive cash flow.