Santa Maria Joint High School District Superintendent Antonia Garcia (far left), board member Dominick Palera, Santa Maria High School Principal Steve Campbell, board member Carol Karamitsos and board president Dr. Jack Garvin break ground at SMHS’s new building site.
The Santa Maria Joint Union High School District officials and board broke ground Tuesday on a new Santa Maria High School building.
The district hopes the 50-classroom and administration building will be completed in April 2023.
The new space will replace nearly all of the school’s portable classrooms and route traffic away from Camino Colegio, the current front entrance that often becomes crowded.
Bond Measure H, which voters passed in 2016, is funding the $59.5 million project.
“It’s a game changer for our students and community,’’ said Dr. Jack Garvin, school board president. “It brings a major area of campus into this century.’’
The three-story, 88,774 square-foot building is designed to complement the existing buildings. It will face Morrison Avenue and welcome visitors with parking and a bell tower.
The project incorporates sustainable features such asLED lighting and climate control systems.
Classrooms will be outfitted with moveable whiteboard walls, large monitors to display content from the teacher’s tablet and movable furniture.
Demolition began just over three weeks ago.
The groundbreaking was held without a public audience.
email: ahanshaw@newspress.com
