Vandalia-Butler district shows off renovated high school

VANDALIA — Taxpayers and residents who want to see the details of a $28 million renovation of Butler High School that took nearly two years to complete got a chance on Sunday afternoon to personally view the results.

The Vandalia-Butler city school district dedicated the addition and renovated older section of the 1,300-student school at 600 S. Dixie Dr. in Vandalia.

The renovated building includes about 31,000 square feet of additional space. The project renovated the building’s 1964 wing, added air conditioning to the student activities center and installed a new sound system in the performing arts center, which is to reopen soon. The renovation also added new technology to classrooms and energy-efficient lighting, heating, cooling and ventilation systems, school officials said.

The work began in November 2009 and most of it was done in time for the first day of classes on Aug. 30, district spokeswoman Bethany Reiff said.

The project was paid for through a 4.76-mill bond issue that voters approved in November 2008, Reiff said. The district serves Vandalia and Butler Twp. in Montgomery County.