A sweep of renovations hit Ashland City Schools and Community Stadium

ASHLAND – In the oblique hallway near the gymnasium at Taft Elementary, students pass below the florescent lights attached to the white ceiling.

Light escapes through the edges of the hallway with each uniformed step among students and staff.

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Soon, the school will have LED light strips and color-coated walls similar to Edison Elementary which will allow for brighter hallways and a cost-effective school checkbook.

These subtle changes at Taft Elementary won't be the only things changing at Ashland City Schools' buildings in the coming weeks, as the district has several renovations underway.

Also at Taft, hallway flooring will be grinded to create a smoother walkway for staff and students. A new coat of paint will be added on the interior walls, dictating what rooms and sections of the school are tailored to a specific grade level.

Edison Elementary first implemented these changes while Taft Elementary is waiting on bids to come back before these infrastructural improvements are implemented.

The color-coordinated hallways have proven to have increased attention and retention in daily routines from students, Ashland City School Superintendent Doug Marrah said.

There isn't a date when the renovations for Taft will be completed, but Marrah said it will be in the near future.

The Taft Elementary construction project will cost an estimated at $856,000, according to the Ashland City School Board of Education Nov. 22 agenda.

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Renovations at Community Stadium continue

Along with Taft Elementary redesigns, Community Stadium track repairs and resurfacing has an estimated cost of $396,295, according to the same agenda.

A separate project connected to Community Stadium is the stadium entrance project, with an estimated price of $942,125, according to a Dec. 13 board agenda. According to the same agenda, a $250,000 donation was accepted from Norma and Lloyd Wygant.

"We're really thankful for the community," Marrah said.

The track and stadium entrance project is likely to be completed by next fall. One issue the project is facing is a shortage of doors due to a lack of building materials, Marrah said.

These upgrades to Community Stadium are part of the master grand plan created about eight years ago, Marrah said. Since the creation of the master plan document, the stadium has seen upgrades throughout the years, including installation of the grandstand walkway, exterior lights and the Wygant Memorial Field House.

New handicap accessible restrooms have recently been completed in the field house, Marrah said. Renovations for the stadium's concession stand are in the planning phase, with discussions to add another exterior window.

The plan to remove asbestos from Ashland City Schools' building

Asbestos removal throughout Ashland City Schools has been a project the past several years. The high school saw updates in carpeting and roofing to clear asbestos, according to a previous Times-Gazette report.

For Edison Elementary asbestos abatement treatment, Massillon Construction and Supply, LLC was approved by the Ashland City School Board of Education for its removal at a March board meeting, according to a previous Times-Gazette report.

"We will be asbestos free as a district," Marrah said.

Reach Grant at gritchey@gannett.com

On Twitter @ritchey_grant

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Ashland City Schools' renovations underway, stadium getting updates