SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Thursday marked the groundbreaking of a campus-wide modernization project at Marston Middle School.
The $40 million project will include the construction of a new gymnasium, a joint-use grass playfield, and upgrades to the existing buildings including in classrooms and restrooms.
The project will also include security enhancements, including a new modified point of entry at the main office.
“As part of this project we’re going to create a secure, safe, single point of entry so that all visitors need to check in at this point during the school day, and over here you can see we have some perimeter fencing,” said Lee Dulgeroff as he showed ABC 10News around the campus.
Dulgeroff said the modified point of entry will include new intercoms, cameras, and a buzzer- so school staff can speak to anyone trying to enter the campus for any reason.
He said that all older doors and windows will also be upgraded.
A safety feature already in place at Marston Middle School is the Emergency Communications System (ECS) which includes two-way communication from the main office to any classroom. The system looks like a larger digital clock, but includes intercoms, speakers, and text displays, allowing trained staff to quickly respond to emergencies.
“We have an emergency communications system on campus so that if there is a suspicious person or a person that’s carrying a weapon possibly, then we can immediately notify all the classrooms and lock down the school immediately,” said Dulgeroff.
He said the systems are in every classroom and the front office at Marston Middle School, adding that they’ve also been installed in 59 of the district’s campuses.
“We're rolling this out across the entire school district,” he said. Dulgeroff said $120 million have been invested in school security improvements districtwide.
The makeover at Marston Middle School is expected to be completed by late 2024.
