Students and parents at both Montevallo Elementary and Montevallo High schools should notice some pretty big changes when they return to school in August.  Both schools recently underwent construction projects that not only helped to improve the overall appearance of the schools, but also helped to improve safety and traffic flow.

   

At Montevallo Elementary, the front exterior of the school has been improved with a new entrance and canopy that modernized the look of the school.  The new entrance is also one of the first to be completed under the district’s new Safe Schools Initiative, which includes improving school architecture to enhance safety features as one of five major points of focus.  Visitors will now enter an alcove area and proceed to a window to speak to the front office receptionist.  Once the visitor has stated his or her reason for visiting the school, the receptionist will buzz them through a secured door to gain admittance to the school.    

The front office and administrative offices also have a new look. Once visitors have been buzzed into the building, they will be able to proceed to the new front desk area to sign in.

 

The new front canopy was done in conjunction with a redesign of the driveway and parking lot area.  According to Facilities and Maintenance Coordinator Randy Reeves, the new driveway will be utilized for car rider drop-off.

“The good thing about this design is that it more than doubles the amount of stacking room that they had previously,” Reeves said. “This will enable them to get more cars into the line and off of the road.  The parking lot is also a separate area so there shouldn’t be any concern about a car backing out at the same time that cars are trying to load and unload students.”

Montevallo High School will also have improved parking and traffic flow with the addition of a new driveway and front parking lot.  The new parking lot was built in front of the school in an area that used to be a grass yard.  Parking was limited to the surrounding streets and side parking lots.  Visitors to the school will now be able to pull into two side-by-side parking lots that face the front entrance of the school.  The new driveway and parking area will also be utilized for car rider drop-off.  Cars will be able to enter and turn down either parking lot, which feature one-way streets that curve into double lanes at the entrance to the school.  Both lanes will be utilized for morning traffic flow, according to Principal Wesley Hester.

The high school’s front hallway has also been updated with new wood laminate flooring. The lockers throughout the school have also been refurbished and shine with a fresh coat of dark blue paint.

The Family and Consumer Science building has also been completely renovated.  It features new wood laminate flooring and a newly designed state-of-the-art culinary lab.

Montevallo Middle School is also slated to undergo major capital improvements this upcoming school year.  The school will also get a modernized redesign of it’s front entrance and canopy area.  The parking lot and traffic flow will also be improved, along with major renovations to the gymnasium.  Work on those projects is expected to begin in August.