The first major works at Wakatipu High School since 2004 will involve a new canteen, a gym extension, a new music and drama building and general improvements this year, totalling $2.25 million.
Further works estimated to cost $750,000 and planned by the school's board of trustees this year for 2012, include a new library relocated to the old drama area.
The canteen will move from the gym to a new L-shaped area on the corner of the existing library building, increasing its size from about 20sq m to 53sq m.
A new 28sq m covered queuing area should improve the school's ability to host external events.
Work on the new $155,000 canteen was expected to begin in early February and finish by the end of March.
Once the canteen was gone from the gym, two new classrooms, each of 70sq m, would be added.
The changing rooms would be refurbished and a new cover to the street entrance would be built.
The new music and drama building will attach to the school's Robertson block.
The new building's basement level will offer 249sq m of space for new band and seminar rooms, costumes and props rooms and four new practice rooms.
The 457sq m ground floor will cater for two music rooms and two drama room teaching areas, plus two green rooms.
The replacement of all gym lighting, plus the extension of the heating system and new carpeting in several parts of the school, costing $100,000, are also planned this year.
Funds came from budgets agreed with the Ministry of Education and the school's board of trustees.
The projects are being managed by Chris Brick, of Octa Associates, in Wanaka.
Wayne Foley, chairman of the board of trustees property committee, told the Queenstown Times yesterday the areas would more than double the space available for music and drama.
"Somewhere around mid-February we'll be calling for tenders for the gym and new music and drama building.
"Our programme is to have them finished by September-October, before the kids sit their exams.
"It's been identified for some time now that the school needed additional facilities due to roll growth and the reality is, it may be still a number of years before the community has a new high school.
"And so the board of trustees is determined to provide the best facilities possible, as soon as possible, to cater for current student numbers and the forecasted growth for the next five years."
The Ministry of Education expected the roll to increase to about 850 pupils in the next four years.
Mr Foley said the school roll was about 770 last term and it was likely the roll would exceed the ministry's estimates.
"The current board of trustees has only been in place for six months and it has taken that amount of time to come to grips with many facets of the school.
During 2011, we should see more announcements about future plans."
