Backed-up toilets, cramped stalls and athletes changing for sports often render the Flood Mansion’s restrooms inaccessible are prompting renovations scheduled for this of the second and third floor this summer.

Architects are solidifying designs for new spaces in the community, including updated Convent High School bathrooms and middle school science classrooms. Renovations are expected to start directly at the end of the 2016-2017 Convent High School year.

“In both the second and the third floor bathrooms, one of the stalls is usually broken and the rooms themselves smell terrible,” senior April Matsumoto said. “I hope that the renovations improve the plumbing in general and improve the quality of the bathrooms themselves.”

The lavatories were last remodeled in the 1940s and do not have accessible stalls in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The renovations will bring the new space up to ADA requirements.

Construction workers will work this summer with the architectural designs from Gensler to utilize all of the area in the bathrooms to continue the community’s theme of open spaces, according to Plant Operations Director Geoff De Santis.   

“It’s actually kinda hard to fit in the bathrooms upstairs in the Flood because they are so small,” junior Olivia Sanchez Corea said. “I just want them to be updated so the bathrooms are functional and working and without constant lines.”

The bathroom renovations will be mostly funded by the school’s operational budget. DeSantis will work alongside President Ann Marie Krejcarek and the Chief Financial Officer, Trisha Peterson, to ensure sufficient funds for the construction, according to De Santis.

“We connect with designers and give them our aspirations for the spaces that need to be redesigned,” De Santis said. “The process takes time because we create cohorts. With the bathrooms, we’re going to be meeting with students to talk about what their needs are. It’s important to have that student voice because I’m not the one using that bathroom.”

The updates come after years of student and family advocation, according to De Santis. Families were given the opportunity to directly donate money to the bathroom cause at the annual Celebrate Spring weekend in March.

“There was definitely student advocation, but the big reason for us to continue doing the work we’re doing is to create the ultimate and best learning experience for students and teachers,” De Santis said. “You, as the students, should feel that this is your space.”