Hoover High School and Meredith Middle School will have a new look when students start classes next fall.

Using some of the money the Des Moines Independent Community School District will receive from the state’s Secure an Advanced Vision for Education fund, Hoover and Meredith have broken ground on a new Technology Learning Center.

“It’s going to be an exciting place for students, both Meredith and Hoover,” said Bill Good, the district’s chief operations officer. “They’re going to say ‘Wow’ once they get in there.”

The $5 million project is expected to be completed by next fall for the schools, both housed in the same building at 4800 Aurora Ave.

The center will be built on the south side of the school building, and will be accessible for both middle school and high school students. It will take the place of both schools’ existing libraries.

The main entrance of the addition will include a soft seating area for students to do research, four teaching laboratories for classes to meet in and a pair of smaller rooms for small groups to meet in.

A shared media center was the No. 1 priority for Hoover Principal Doug Wheeler and Meredith Principal Cindy Flesch when talking about school renovations.

“Both principals felt their schools needed to upgrade their technology in their facilities,” Good said. “They needed a place to go to introduce or make technology available to students.”

The new center will allow for renovations in the existing building on both the high school and middle school sides.

The existing library at Meredith will be turned into a multi-purpose space. The library at Hoover will become the main office area for school administration and provide space for a drama classroom, and the old office area will become a pair of classrooms. Additionally, the lunchroom will be expanded to allow students to spread out more and provide various seating options.

An advantage of the new addition is that the contractor, Edge Commercial Services, can complete outside work during the warmer months and then use the Technology Learning Center as a transition space while renovating the existing building.

Though the project’s goal is to help students, Good said, it will also help put money into the local economy.

“It’s important that we focus on what’s good for students, but there’s a lot of community value here too,” Good said. “We’re injecting a couple million dollars in the local economy, so adults are benefiting too.”