Rhinebeck High School is getting a makeover? Well not quite. No new construction. But there is a new renovation going on: The long-awaited Capital Project.

Sheldon Tieder, Director of facility and operations at Rhinebeck Central School District, is managing the operations and was kind enough to meet with Rhinebeck Reality for an interview.

According to Tieder, portions of the high school are going to be remodeled and renovated: some hallways, lockers, classroom floors, and windows and many other things will get upgrades. BMS carpeting will be replaced, and the back fields of our school will also get upgraded irrigation.

This project is going to cost approximately $12, 089, 160.

The project was proposed by the Board of Education and approved by the Rhinebeck community in 2016 referendum. It will take two summers to complete in full.

Most of the high school is only getting maintenance and repairs. The floors are going to be redone, as part of an asbestos abatement project. The Physics lab is going to be renovated significantly, and the computer lab in Room 140 is going to be modified as well. The focus is not on technology, but there will be changes made to the AV room and the Computer Lab, and there is a possibility that space will be reserved for Virtual Reality activities.

When speaking to Rhinebeck Reality, Tieder said, “One of the most important things that’s going to occur in this renovation is a backup generator.”

Having a backup generator will be a tremendous change to our facilities. Tieder said, “This will make it so if there’s bad weather or a power outage, the school can still have heat and electricity.”

Furthermore, when we face dangerous weather or a power outage as a community, the school can better serve its function as a Red Cross emergency shelter for residents of Rhinebeck. This generator will be an extremely important feature for the building as well as the Rhinebeck Community as a whole.

However, many other parts of the project will affect the school on a more everyday basis for the students and staff. Tieder said, “There are new lockers going in. They are going to be wider, but shorter…so you will not have to worry about jammed lockers.” The high school gym will also get improved acoustics.

This new makeover has the potential to change the school’s overall function in a positive way, making life easier on the staff, teachers, and students in our school.

For more info, see the RCSD website.