Riverdale High School undergoing $108 million renovation

A Fort Myers high school is undergoing renovations that are costing taxpayers $63 million more than they were first told.

On WINK News, you heard the estimated cost for updates to Riverdale High School started at $45 million, then it shot up to $108 million.

WINK News reporter Asha Patel went to the school to speak with Principal Scott Cook about the renovations.

Cook told her the school was in dire need of updates and a makeover, the building remaining unchanged since the doors first opened in 1972.

When students walk into Riverdale High School in a few weeks, they will be welcomed into new science labs, classrooms, an expanded parking lot, and ongoing construction.

“There’s so much infrastructure that’s failing in this school, it caused it really to be a full refresh, which Riverdale is due for. They’ve never had one in the entire 52 years,” said Principal Cook.

Principal Cook and the Suffolk construction team took us around and showed us what was new and what still needed to be renovated.

The science labs are brand new, but the biggest upgrades are underground.

“It’s the plumbing. So in 1972, they used cast iron pipes to bring the water in and take the wastewater out. Those have collapsed, so the schools had to struggle in the district and struggle to keep those things working until we could do this renovation,” Principal Cook said.

The price tag for all of this sits at $108 million, a full $63 million more than the original estimation in 2020.

A spokesperson with the Lee County School District said the project has changed in size and scope since it was first presented 4 years ago.

This project is paid for by Lee County taxpayers and the half-cent sales tax. The renovations for Riverdale High School are expected to be fully done by August 2025.