By Kyle Chan, Staff Writer
As summer approaches, many of us will be enjoying this period of content. While students may be relaxed, the campus of Mills remains busy. Mills High School and many other schools within the San Mateo Union High School District will be shut down due to development schemes proposed by the district.
After the recent completion of the sports complex, Mills is starting another construction project called the Mills High School Transite Encapsulation Project. It begins on May 30, 2023, and will be turned over to the site on August 14, 2023. The closeout of the project is also aiming for between December 2023 to the beginning of January 2024. During the summer, with the exception of the East and West gyms, the track, the old baseball field, and the new and improved sports complex, the rest of the campus will be shut down. That means there will be a denied entry for administration and students on the site.
The project will focus on “encapsulating” the existing transite panels at the school buildings to prevent potential exposure of the public and school students and workers to asbestos fibers in the transite. This would include overlaying existing cement panels with insulation and a synthetic plaster finish, and some new windows and doors.
The reason why the panels are being covered instead of removed is that replacing them would lead to having to rebuild the whole school and is not permitted by the state. When Mills High School was originally built in 1959, the favored material to build the campus consisted of asbestos fibers. Later on, studies have shown that having a presence near asbestos fibers can be toxic and harmful to human health. It can cause the risk of several diseases, including asbestosis, mesothelioma, and lung cancer. The reasoning behind the plan to entomb asbestos is to prevent any of it from spreading if there is a natural disaster, such as an earthquake. Although the project is slated for the Summer of 2023, there are parts that have been completed. This includes the courtyard, ceramics, dance room, weight room, and exterior of the back of the school.
The School Board pushed it as an important project, but its expensive cost delayed the start of the project. Eventually on December 17, 2020, with the voters’ approval, the district extended their support of Measure L – a $385 million general obligation bond to make improvements to facilities within the schools in the San Mateo High School District.
Another part of the construction project is the “curb appeal”. The curb appeal is a proposition to re-imagine the front of the school. “Ever since school came back from the pandemic, there have been more and more students sitting in front of the school, whether it is to eat lunch or to hang out with friends,” says Principal Duszynsky. The picture of the new and improved front of the school incorporates much more shaded areas, sitting rocks, a new structure, and eye-catching room numbers. Logo graphics and signage will be added to welcome students. The site plan also calls for organic pathways and sail-shaped shade structures on the Murchison Drive entry. The exterior and interior of the school will now look more colorful and eye-catching to represent the Viking ship and its sails.
In order to make this project successful, Principal Duszynsky formed a community committee that involved teachers, architects, and parents to help plan out and design the front of the school. Members include Carmel Turek, Micheal Duer, Akeyla Harper, and Giuseppe Bregoli. This team consists of many architectures, and graphic designers that developed the plan for the front of the school.
Overall, big changes are happening to Mills and the whole administration and community are looking forward to the completion of the project. Many are anticipating the new and improved style of the school.
