This summer, the school will begin construction of its new fitness center. According to Principal John Williams, the project is expected to end in spring of 2013.

“It’s a two-year job because of the money,” Williams said. “We’ll use some money from 2012 and some money from 2013, so we use a different pot of money each year. We didn’t want to commit all of our 2012 money, which is why we’ll start in the summer.”

According to Williams, the lot outside the fieldhouse will be diminished to accommodate the new fitness center. Although this will require faculty members to relocate to another parking lot during the day, Williams said his primary concern is limited space for crowded events.

“We probably have to look at green space,” Williams said. “We were committed to keep the green space we have, but that may not happen anymore. We hate to take it, but we’ll see what the impact is.”

Student body president Terrance Lewis said he hopes this will not affect the students who park by the natatorium.

“Most of the students who will have a spot by the natatorium have it for a specific reason, so hopefully the teachers don’t push them out,” Lewis said.

With the exception of this challenge, however, Williams said he expects the new fitness center to fit in seamlessly with the rest of the school.

“The weight room will be a little bit below grade, which allows them the make the roof match the rest of the building,” he said. “People who come into our building are amazed that it’s really a series of renovations. It’s like it was all built at the same time.”

Lewis, who received a copy of the blueprints for this project to gather student feedback, said he most anticipates the elevated track that will encircle the basketball courts.

“It’ll be awesome,” he said. “It’ll be just like the Monon Center.”

In addition to the new fitness center, Williams said he looks forward to a few additional projects in the far future. These include the replacement of the sports building by the soccer field, the installation of turf on the soccer fields, possession and renovation of the Ivy Tech building next to the Carmel Clay Public Library and expansion of the performing arts section.

Although Williams said he acknowledges the amount of money these projects will take, he considers them worthy undertakings.

“Look at Fishers,” he said. “They have three high schools to support. Our community is saving a lot of money. Think about if we had two more high schools. You’d be paying two more principals, two more head coaches, two more of everything we have. Our community is saving a lot of money, so it ought to be state of the art.”