It's that time of year again, when students start their summer break and construction crews move into a higher gear on renovations and repairs.

This season, there are major projects at nine Howard County public schools. While many already have begun, operations speed up during the summer.

"Because there's no staff, and particularly no children, we can accomplish much more," said Bruce Gist, director of school construction for Howard County schools. "We're less restricted."

Construction of a new dance studio has been ongoing at Centennial High School since April. Once classes let out Wednesday, June 22, another significant project will begin: the parking lot shared by Centennial and Burleigh Middle School will be reconfigured to share a common exit to Centennial Lane, where a new traffic light will be installed.

Nearby residents had contacted the Traffic Engineering Division of the Howard County Bureau of Highways with concerns about students crossing Centennial Lane in front of the high school, "where, because of a vertical hill, there is limited sight distance," Diane Schwarzman, chief of the division, wrote in an email.

A crosswalk with a Walk/Don't Walk sign will accompany the new traffic signal to make crossing the street safer for pedestrians. Schwarzman also noted that the signal would make leaving the parking lot easier for drivers. "We anticipate that overall, the vehicles in the lot will clear in less time than the existing stop sign condition," she wrote.

Centennial Principal Carl Perkins said the new traffic light and crosswalk are welcome additions. "We're really looking forward to that and we think it will make a big impact on the safety of the students," he said.

Construction on both the dance studio and the new traffic signal is slated to finish before students report back Aug. 29.

Other projects on track for completion by the end of the summer include renovations and additions at Northfield and Bellows Spring elementary schools and Hammond Elementary and Middle schools.

Work on Mt. Hebron High School, Thunder Hill Elementary School, Bollman Bridge Elementary School, Hammond High School and Phelps Luck Elementary School will be completed at later dates.

Renovations at Northfield Elementary will make it the county's first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified "green" school. The building will boast a geothermal HVAC system, which uses pumps to funnel heat from under the earth's surface into and out of the building. Gist said the system will lessen energy demands because much of the heating and cooling work will be done by the earth's natural processes. The school also will be enhanced by more sources of natural lighting.

Bollman Bridge Elementary's renovations will make it the next school to meet LEED standards.

Several schools under construction are receiving additions and renovations to make room for growing student populations.

Many of the renovations also adapt health suites to meet Code of Maryland Regulations standards, which specify that schools built after Jan. 1, 1993 must have health suites that are handicapped-accessible, have access to toilets and a telephone and include a separate office for private consultations.

Schools undergoing renovations that do not have an office that is directly adjacent to the main entrance of the building will have their offices relocated, as well. Gist said this is so that the inner vestibule doors to the schools can be locked once classes have begun, which will require visitors to enter through the office as a safety precaution.