August 3, 2026

“When I look back at this summer, the biggest thing that stands out is just how much we were able to accomplish in such a short amount of time,” Hughson Unified School District Director of Maintenance, Operations, and Transportation Andrew Fontana said. “This summer has been a massive reconstruction effort across several areas of campus. The amount of work performed was intense, but incredibly productive. When I step back and look at everything we've touched, it's honestly amazing how much we were able to get done with the funding we had available.”

When the school year came to a close, the campus closed as well, relocating summer school to an alternate site and opening up the fencing to allow work crews to dig in. Now, when students and staff return, they will see fresh paint across nearly the entire campus, updated classrooms, the Old Gym remodel and new asphalt. They may not notice the infrastructure improvements underneath and behind the scenes, but the work accomplished this summer will benefit Hughson High for decades to come.

With the beginning of the school year, the project list checks off the Old Gym remodel, modernization of the 10-Wing classrooms, the completion of the 30-Wing improvements, fresh paint, new asphalt, ADA pathway improvements, upgraded drainage, additional restroom capacity, and preparing infrastructure for future Food Services improvements.

Modernization does not mean out with the old

For Fontana, who himself attended Hughson High School, his favorite project this summer was the Old Gym. “There is just something about bringing that building back to life. Instead of changing what made it special, we focused on restoring it.”

Crews removed the old plywood that had covered the upper windows for years and installed a modern window system that keeps the original look of the building while bringing it into today's standards. They repaired the exterior, installed new gutters and reinforced downspouts, and cleaned it up while preserving the character that so many generations of Hughson students remember.

“I think it brought back a little bit of the spirit of the old Hughson High while giving it the attention it deserved. It's one of those projects that reminds you where the school came from while helping carry it into the future, and seeing it come back to life has been really rewarding,” Fontana said.

Modernization does mean improving essentials

It won’t be the first thing people will notice when they walk onto campus, but a close second for Fontana is completion of the campus gas and electrical infrastructure. “It's one of the most important investments we made,” Fontana said.

Working closely with PG&E, TID, and contractors, utility systems that had served the campus for decades were modernized. The work included relocating the main gas regulator, installing a new gas manifold with dedicated shutoff valves for individual buildings, upgrading aging gas lines, installing new switchgear and electrical infrastructure, and documenting underground utilities that had never been accurately mapped. “Those improvements make the campus safer, more reliable, easier to maintain, and ready to support future projects. In many ways, we've brought the backbone of the campus up to today's standards, setting Hughson High up for the next generation of improvements,” Fontana said.

And rather than simply replacing pavement, when the ground was opened up, crews improved drainage with new and refurbished dry wells, eliminated trip hazards, added ADA pathways through the center of campus, created tree planter seating areas, and documented underground utilities that will make future maintenance much easier.

“We wanted to leave every part of the campus a little better than we found it.”

Working to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars, the district has taken a mindset of maximizing the opportunities to do what needs to be done, rather than simply applying a good veneer. “Whenever we opened up a part of the campus, we asked ourselves, ‘What else can we improve while we're here?’” Fontana said.

This included things that may seem small, like adding new doors to an old storage building in the back parking lot. Those little things add to the safety and appearance, and may save money down the road.

And so, the summer saw more accomplished than originally planned and details attended to that might not have been improved upon for years. Fontana said. “Even our construction partners have commented on it. They mentioned they don't often see this much accomplished with the level of funding available and were proud to be part of what has been done here for the Hughson community.”

And we’re really just getting started.

Next comes the Agriculture and Science Complex, followed by the complete renovation of Husky Memorial Stadium.

This summer, work on the Agriculture and Science Complex took place behind the scenes through DSA review, utility coordination, and planning. Currently anticipate completion is Spring 2028.

Additional projects on the horizon will continue transforming the district for years to come. “It's exciting to finally see years of planning becoming reality.”

“I want to thank the Hughson community for believing in our schools and trusting us with this bond program. That's a responsibility we take very seriously,” Fontana said. “Our goal has never been to simply complete projects—it has been to leave this campus better than we found it while being good stewards of every taxpayer dollar. I'm incredibly proud of what we've accomplished together, and I'm even more excited about what's ahead.”

Now the focus shifts to getting everything ready for students. The final push is underway to prepare classrooms and campus before school starts.