Dehumidifiers are working to dry out the gym at Warren Area High School. New windows overlooking the gym from the cafeteria area can be seen on the back wall.

The teachers started moving into classrooms last week and Warren Area High School will be ready for students on Tuesday.

The outside of the building may not show it yet, but the renovation of the school is nearing completion after two years and much of the interior is shiny and new.

“The people that are moving in to their new classrooms are very pleased, very excited,” Principal Jeff Flickner said.

In the next week, “all the ceilings, all the emergency equipment, all the lights and cameras” will be finished, Director of Buildings and Grounds Services Dr. Norbert Kennerknecht said. The driveway, which was recently milled, will also be complete.

Some parking lot work will go on throughout the school year.

The classroom wings will be ready.

In some rooms, white boards are still covered with blue protective film and smart TVs are covered by anti-static protective bags.

“Music is going to be open,” Kennerknecht said. “The art room will be done.”

The ceiling in the F-hallway — music, art, and tech ed — is the exception to the target completion date for the ceilings. That will take longer.

There are some instructional spaces that will not be ready on day one.

The technology education suite will open about two weeks into the school year and family consumer science will continue to be housed in a temporary classroom building until its permanent home is complete.

In the gymnasium, a period of high humidity in August has led to delays.

There are four large dehumidifiers in the gymnasium working to get the space to a humidity level that is acceptable to the installer.

Once the floor is in the building, it will sit for nine days before it is ready.

“The wood will acclimate to the humidity,” Kennerknecht said. “We’re trying to get a constant temperature.”

The concession area is off of the cafeteria. There are four new interior windows that allow those who are eating and drinking to watch events in the gym.

There are new floors, non-absorbent ceilings, doors, shower heads, fixtures, valves, and lights in the locker rooms.

The gym should be ready for use in October.

The auditorium is being utilized as a storage facility now and will be the last area completed. “The stage will be refinished and new stage lights will be installed,” Kennerknecht said.

There is new space in the building. The end of the courtyard between the classroom wings has been closed off and contains a number of spaces including two large-group-instruction areas. “Eventually we hope to use these rooms for meetings, combined classes, professional development… “ Flickner said.

In the future, the courtyard may also be utilized for students who choose to go outside for study halls or lunch, he said.

The infrastructure is also all new, from the heat to the plumbing and electrical systems.

There is a new sprinkler system throughout the whole building, Kennerknecht said. All of the lights are LEDs, although solar tubes from the ceiling and windows provide a great deal of supplemental light on bright days. “That’s going to cut down on our energy costs.”

Freshman orientation was held Tuesday evening and many new students got their first look at the new facility.

It should look quite different in a week as many finishing touches are put on in time to be unveiled.

“It’s like the night before a big performance all this week,” Kennerknecht said. “It’s bright, beautiful, and looks a lot different.”