Chaparral High School's $37M 'Phase 2' Makeover Begins Next Month

TEMECULA, CA — Work is expected to begin next month on a $37 million renovation at Chaparral High School in Temecula.

Phase 2 of the campus's Modernization project will initially include refurbishment of staff and visitor parking lots and modernization of the science wing — and Americans with Disabilities Act work triggered by these upgrades. Initial grading and relocation of tennis courts in order to prepare a building pad for an auxiliary gymnasium are also included.

Total cost of the above work is approximately $5.5 million and the Temecula Valley Unified School District governing board signed off on construction contracts Tuesday following an open bid process.

Bidding for grading and utilities for the new auxiliary gym closed Tuesday. The bid for the gym building is expected around December, according to Janet Dixon, TVUSD director of facilities development.

The total Phase 2 cost of $37 million is funded via Temecula's Measure Y, a bond initiative approved in 2012 by 63 percent of voters in the TVUSD.

Phase 2 construction is a step-by-step process, with work set to start next month and wrap up by January 2025. Here is the timeline:

Parking Lot and Science Wing Improvements: Repaving of the campus's northwestern parking lot and renovation of the science wing interior will conclude in August.

Relocation of Athletic Facilities: The school's batting cages and tennis courts will be relocated between the beginning of next month and the end of September. Basketball courts will be relocated in the December timeframe.

Construction of New Auxiliary Gymnasium and Volleyball Courts: This work begins after the tennis courts are relocated and would conclude December 2024. These new facilities would open January 2025 when school resumes after winter break.

Conversion of Existing Weight Room and Dance Room: The existing weight room and dance room will be converted back to multipurpose uses and a yoga room immediately after the new auxiliary gymnasium opens.

Phase 1 of the Modernization project at Chaparral included work on the front student parking lot, pool and deck refurbishment, painting the school, replacing the fire alarm, new sound and lighting for the Performing Arts Center, ADA compliance, and replacing evaporative coolers with heat pumps, Dixon explained.

The Phase 1 cost was $15 million — funded with Measure Y dollars, deferred maintenance, and federal ESSER funding, Dixon explained.

Chaparral High School opened in 1997. The campus serves just under 3,000 students.