The Ripon Unified School District’s winter break wasn’t quite a break for Director of Facilities Operation Andy Strickland and his crew.

That’s when the real work took place, he noted in his report at Monday’s school board meeting.

Strickland said No. 1 on the to-do list was the overhauling of the office space at Ripon Elementary School.

“The place had to be gutted,” he said.

The result of the modernization is an open space office that now allows for more room for staff workers.

Parents and students at Ripon Elementary, rather than waiting outside, have an area to take a seat.

Strickland said the office was in need of new flooring.

Ripon Unified’s District Office also got new flooring after modernization efforts, he added.

The work there included changing out of all fixtures in the bathrooms along with the installation of a larger PG&E meter “to accommodate the ‘power outage’ generators,” Strickland said.

At Ripon High, his crew had the big task of painting inside the Multi-Use Room, in particular, the 35 feet high ceilings and walls.

The Multi-Purpose Building, as a result, sports the same tone of red – specifically, doors, trims and staging area – to match the rest of the campus along with the walls being painted in an off-white.

“It’s cleaner and brighter,” said Strickland. “We’re really pleased with the outcome.”

In addition, new concrete was poured along the sidewalk just outside of the Multi-Purpose Building, in turn, eliminating any trip hazards.