A school zone has turned into a construction zone at West Allegheny High School, where a two-year, $25 million renovation and expansion project is under way.

This summer, foundation work has begun for construction of a two-story, 24-classroom wing and a three-level gym annex to the school in North Fayette.

Caissons have been installed and structural steel will start shaping the additions soon, project manager Brian Kilgus, of Foreman Program and Construction Managers of Zelienople, told the school board July 16.

Expected completion date of the additions is late January.

Inside the school, workers are building several new rest rooms, removing asbestos and tearing out old floor and ceiling tiles in the hallways.

The restroom and asbestos projects are expected to be done by the first day of school Aug. 27, but students will walk through bare corridors as new floor and ceiling tiles will not be installed until next summer.

Meanwhile, excavation work has begun for construction of four tennis courts to replace the ones dismantled to make way for the new classroom wing. District officials hope the new courts will be ready in the spring.

Superintendent John DiSanti said when the classrooms are complete this winter, students will relocate there, and renovations to some high school offices will begin.

The first floor of the classroom wing will house the visual arts and the industrial arts/technology education programs, and the second floor will have academic classrooms.

The gym annex, near the stadium, will include locker rooms, team rooms and athletics offices.

Auditorium renovations -- to include elevating the roof, adding a balcony with more seating and building a rehearsal room -- will start in January and take about a year.

During that time, events such as the spring musical will be held elsewhere, Dr. DiSanti said.

Eventually, he said, the cafeteria's dining area will expand, and the nearby weight room will move to the former technology education area, which already will have moved to the new wing.

Dr. DiSanti said that work is being timed to disrupt students as little as possible.

School officials expected that Kenneth Fibbi, a newly hired director of building and grounds, would help the facilities project run smoothly. The school board hired Mr. Fibbi last week to replace Glenn Franceschina, who resigned in May.

Mr. Fibbi has 14 years of experience in managing construction projects. As a former project manager with Thomas & Williamson Program Management of Pittsburgh, he supervised renovation and construction projects for at least five school districts, including North Allegheny.

He holds a bachelor's degree in architectural engineering and is a certified construction inspector.

Dr. DiSanti said that Mr. Fibbi's "expertise and experience will be of great value to the district as we continue to meet the growing needs of our facilities and school plant."

The purpose of West Allegheny's renovation and expansion project is to upgrade facilities and accommodate a high school population expected to increase by 200 students by 2015.