By Shelby Stewart-Soldan
Staff Writer
Brandon Twp.— On June 20, the Brandon Board of Education approved renovations to the Brandon High School greenhouse.
“We want to get that back in operation, there’s some things we investigated that we need to do,” said Brian Smilnak, the architect on the bond projects. “It’s been in a state of disrepair just because it has not been used for a number of years.”
The current greenhouse is not usable due to the state of disrepair. The updates will allow the greenhouse to be used for classes in the future, and will be funded from the current bond.
The board approved allocating bond funds to replace the broken glass panes, replace the plumbing system that previously froze and burst, update the ventilation system and heating system so the pipes don’t freeze, as well as replacing the thermostat mechanism that controls some of the windows. The greenhouse also needs electrical work and some masonry restoration on the outside.
“These items need to be fixed before we can get that back in action,” said Smilnak.
Some parts of the project can be done before September, but due to contractors being booked up and short staffed, most of the project will not be done until December.