Schools Spruced Up With Bond Money

When classes begin in the Conejo Unified School District on Wednesday, middle schools will have larger parking lots and several campuses will have new classrooms.

Many of the nearly $20 million in repairs and upgrades made this summer will soon be completed. The money for more than 900 projects came from the $88-million Measure R bonds, approved by voters two years ago.

Redwood and Colina middle schools both have improved parking lots. Redwood’s spaces nearly tripled to 118 spaces to accommodate the growing school, said Ken Koch, the district’s construction supervisor. About 25 new parking spaces and a new bus line were added at Colina, Koch said.

Modular classrooms were added to accommodate expanding enrollment in the district. At Westlake High School, an old shop classroom was reconfigured to house about seven new classes, said Jack Wilson, the district’s project manager for capital improvement projects.

One of the biggest projects still under construction is the installation of an air conditioning and heating unit at Newbury Park High School, which won’t be turned on until the weather heats up next spring, Wilson said.

Most of the district’s projects may not be easily visible to students because they have more to do with maintenance, officials said. Thousand Oaks High School and many elementary schools had underground work done, for instance.

“It’s not the real sexy renovations that everyone can see,” Wilson said. “We’re putting in new pipes. We’re digging up old pipes that have been in the ground for about 40 years and they have corroded water lines.”

For example, Thousand Oaks High School had work done on its bathrooms. A couple of them have been renovated for handicapped accessibility.