As the 2012-13 school year gets under way at Point Loma High School, several campus upgrade projects are nearing completion while another is just breaking ground. Newly under way is a long-awaited improvement to the school’s stadium entrance on Voltaire Street that will create a more aesthetic entryway to the school and it’s athletic events. San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) communication supervisor Cynthia Reed-Porter said contractors, using Prop. S funds, will build a new 1,100-square-foot, single-story building in the limited entryway space between two residential properties. PLHS athletic director John Murphy said neighbors were invited to view the plans and give feedback on the project. Reed-Porter said the steel structure with a metal roof will fill three needs for PLHS students, staff and guests, including a two-window ticket booth, a new fully equipped concession stand with three service windows and new men’s and women’s restrooms. Reed-Porter said the project includes new entry gates and an entry plaza to improve the overall experience for visitors. The estimated cost for the project is $1.2 million. It replaces a condemned restroom, temporary ticket booth and makeshift snack bar operated by parents for years from a hot, stuffy storage room under the stadium stands. The construction, however, will inconvenience visitors and students before the targeted completion in May 2013. The Voltaire Street entrance will be closed at all times, except for emergencies. Football fans and others will have to enter the stadium through an alternate gate at the northwest corner of the football field near the scoreboard. School officials are also limiting parking in front of the boys’ gym and on adjacent tennis courts to people with handicapped placards and license plates, still leaving them some distance from seating areas. Other parking for fans and visitors will be in a faculty lot off Clove Street and on neighboring streets during construction. Workers are also putting final touches on two major projects involving conversion of previous buildings. These include a new PLHS Music Center totaling 3,785 square feet, built in the former wood shop; and a high-tech Motion Picture Industries Program Facility occupying just over 4,800 square feet in the 900 building. The final cost of the new stadium turf field, now in use, is estimated at $1.4 million.
