Construction workers toil away outside the school to erect the addition. The project has a budget of approximately $1.35 million is tentatively set to be completed on March 1, 2007.

“We are building a vocational addition on the west side,” district operations and facility planning Thomas D. Bracciano said.

The new addition will help accommodate the increase of student population.

“The building includes two classrooms for Industrial Tech and Vocational Agriculture classes and a Lab for Industrial Tech,” Free State principal Joe Snyder said.  “Some bathrooms are being added to accommodate the increased population in that area plus a dock area for music transport for the band.”

Currently students taking vocational education courses must travel to Lawrence High where facilities are available to conduct those classes. This inconvenience has been faced by students since the school opened.

“Every year we wait, more students are forced to travel to LHS,” Bracciano said.  “This travel takes time out of their day that could be spent learning. When completed, this construction will eliminate the need for travel.”

The new addition to the school will enhance the curriculum of Free State.

“The lab area will include provisions for welding, woods, construction and auto tech facilities,” Snyder said. “It expands our curriculum possibilities in the area of Vocational Technical courses.”

Industrial technology teacher David Bailey will be moving into the newly built rooms.

“I will and I think Tony Schwager will be in the other classroom and Don Clancy may be teaching out there as well,” Bailey said.

The greenhouse will be relocated near the newly built rooms.

“The greenhouse which is currently at the southeast corner of the building is slated to be moved to attach to the new addition,” Bailey said.

Completion of the construction depends on the efforts of the construction company

“The construction firm indicates that substantial completion is by Feb 1, 2007 and total completion by March 1, 2007,” Snyder said. “The firm DLR is the overall construction supervisor and B.A. Green is the actually construction company doing the work either themselves.”

The classes will help students seeking futures that do not include college.

“The truth is there will always be a group of students who are not college bound but want a good living,” Bailey said. “Until we have facilities to properly teach non college career paths those students have been poorly served by our school.”