TRANSCRIPT:
Washington County Public Schools and Williamsport High School are excited to welcome students, staff, and community members back into the building as we enter the first phase of re-opening Williamsport High School. The Samantha Rae Kelly Athletic Center and lower level athletic spaces are opening just in time for winter sports. 

In the main gymnasium, and throughout the building, we're cleaning from the deck - or ceiling - down. All the way from the rafters to the floor, including all walls, fixtures, wiring, and beams have been HEPA vac’d and cleaned in accordance with the 5-step decontamination process. 

Every inch of the space has been inspected and cleaned. 

In the lobby area, all-new ceiling tiles have been installed. Ceiling tile is not considered a cleanable surface, so the old tiles were discarded, the space was cleaned, and new ceiling tiles were dropped into place. 

You may notice a change to the floorplan near the concession stand - a critical barrier wall. This wall is in place for the remainder of the cleaning process. It’s drywall on both sides, with a plastic covering to contain asbestos containing materials on the other side, keeping the section re-opened for guests safe until the project is complete. 

The concession stand has also undergone a deep clean. Now that it’s been decontaminated, it’s ready for our booster clubs to put it back together and start serving food again.

Materials in the weight room have been cleaned, decontaminated, and put back in place from the deck all the way to the floor. In the auxiliary gym, the same cleaning process has been completed. A doorway to the shop classrooms has been sealed shut. 

Asbestos was commonly used in buildings throughout the last century. It’s safe when it’s properly contained. But during the Williamsport project, construction disturbed and relocated some of the material, which allowed it to spread through the building.

We are currently seeing test results with 0 asbestos fibers detected in these areas. That’s well under the US environmental protection agency threshold for occupancy, which is an average of 70 structures per square millimeter – as viewed under a transmission electron microscope. 

While the work continues in other spaces around the building, we’re so excited to be able to open the gym areas to students and restore a piece of the high school experience.