While students have spent this week hard at work on final exams inside the building, the crews working outside Dowagiac Union High School have not been slacking off either since breaking ground last month.

Boosted by the warm and sunny weather the last several days, construction on the new competition gym has been making significant headway as the 2016-2017 school year winds down for the summer. Crews have already begun placing footings for the walls of the planned 1,300-seat gym, with walls expected to come up in the coming weeks.

The initial work at Dowagiac Union High School, as well as at Chris Taylor Alumni Field, are the first steps in the massive overhauls planned throughout the Dowagiac Union Schools district over the next several years. The work is funded through the $37 million worth of bonds approved by voters in 2015.

While the semester may be winding down for students, work will only continue to heat up inside the school this summer.

Over the next several months, contractors will make their way through the hallways of the schools, installing new heating/cooling pipes as well as electrical and internet wiring in the ceiling tiles above. Without the presence of students or staff — the high school summer school program has been temporarily relocated to Dowagiac Middle School — crews should be able to work unimpeded to get the wiring installed by the end of the season, said Superintendent Paul Hartsig.

On top of that work, contractors plan to renovate several classrooms in the social studies wing, installing new furniture, including movable tables and bookshelves, as well as new windows and 70-inch touchscreens, which teachers can use both as a whiteboard as well as to display PowerPoints and other classroom materials, Hartsig said.

“We should have around six to seven classrooms finished by the time school starts again,” he said.

Outside, work will continue on the competition gym, which will be attached to the school on the west end. While the structure will not be completed until next year, Hartsig expects to have the shell of the exterior finished by summer.

In addition, crews will completely redo the three parking lots outside the school, milling and repainting the spaces. Crews will also increase the size of the main lot in the front in order to allow buses to make drop offs and pick ups, Hartsig said.

At the football field, crews are removing the old bleachers. The work, which began the Monday following commencement June 4, is expected to take place over the next few weeks.

“We are being careful with the removal process,” Hartsig said. “We don’t have to rush to get them out, since we are making such good time.”

The district has already ordered new, ADA compliant seating to replace the bleachers, Hartsig said. Crews will begin installing them after removing the old seating and pouring a concrete base. That work is expected to begin in July, and finish by the beginning of football season in mid-August, Hartsig said.

“People are excited to see progress, to see piles of dirt being pushed around and walls beginning to go up,” Hartsig said. “It’s a good boost for us, too. A lot of planning has gone into this, so it’s nice to take those plans and turn them into concrete results.”