If you drive by there, I think you can tell that there’s no way that project will be ready.”

Thomas Kenworthy, superintendent of schools

PORTSMOUTH — As students return to Portsmouth High School this week for the new academic year, they’ll find a couple of major upgrades still not complete: Memorial Drive and air conditioning for the field house.

Both projects were included in a $21.44 million school improvement bond that was approved by voters in November 2021.

Memorial Drive, one of three access roads to the school, is undergoing a major upgrade including more than 20 additional parking spaces, improved vehicular circulation at its main entrance, and a continuous sidewalk for pedestrian traffic along the entire length.

The one-way road allows access to PHS from Turnpike Avenue to the south. The other two access roads are Education Lane, which connects to Sprague Street from the north; and Patriots Drive, which connects with East Main Road from the east.

“If you drive by there, I think you can tell that there’s no way that project will be ready (for the start of school),” Superintendent Thomas Kenworthy told the School Committee on Aug. 22.

“We’ve known about the timeline for this project all throughout the summer. Right now, the anticipated final date for that project is the end of October. That work is just going to continue while school opens. That area will be completely shut down,” said Kenworthy. Drivers won’t be able to enter school grounds from Turnpike Avenue, nor will parking be permitted on Memorial, he said.

As for the field house, the district is still waiting on some equipment that’s necessary to complete the new HVAC system, he said. 

“It will be ready for occupancy, but the HVAC system will not be complete,” said Kenworthy, who anticipates the equipment being delivered in late September. “We’ll probably shut that building down for a couple of days … (or) as short a time as possible.”

Other school building improvement projects that have been going on over the summer were on tract to be completed by Monday, Aug. 28, he said. (Staff orientation was Monday, students in kindergarten and grades 5 and 9 reported Tuesday, and all other students were to report on Wednesday.)

“At Melville, that includes the bathroom renovations,” Kenworthy said. “The roof replacement at Melville is complete at this point.” 

Kitchen upgrades at both Melville and Hathaway were expected to be completed before the start of school, as were bathroom renovations at the high school. Also completed were sidewalk and curbing at the middle school, and an upgrade of the HVAC system in the library media center.

Chris DiIuro, the school district’s director of finance and administration, said the school board still needs to take votes on two other projects — upgrades to another bathroom at Melville as well as those at Hathaway. “We’re opening those bids next week. They’ll go through the Building Committee, and then the School Committee,” DiIuro said.

New hires/resignations

Kenworthy announced several new district hires and resignations since the last meeting.

The district has hired Andrea Smith to serve as a teacher assistant (assignment to be determined), Patrica Greene as a general school aide at Melville, Elizabeth Annino-Staffieri as a one-year special educator at PHS, Caroline Ware as a teacher assistant at Melville, and Annemarie Horgan as a school nurse teacher at PHS.

Lauren Thompson, a longtime grade 4 teacher at Hathaway, has resigned, as did Kimberly Ripa, a teacher assistant at Melville.

New coaches at PHS include Erin Hulse, the girls’ varsity soccer head coach; Ryan MacDonald, the varsity football assistant coach; and Louis Robinson, the girls’ junior-varsity soccer head coach.

Open house dates

The district has set the dates for parents to attend open house at the children’s respective schools:

• Hathaway: Sept. 14

• Melville: Sept. 21

• Middle school (grades 5 and 6): Sept. 7

• Middle school (grades 7 and 8): Sept. 12

• PHS: Sept. 13