Sacramento – Students returning to the newly upgraded Fruit Ridge Elementary School in Oak Park – the site of an asbestos scare in February – will be surprised with a tour of their remodeled campus and an ice cream party on Friday.

The surprise celebration will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Friday (June 17) when students return on buses to the Oak Park campus, located at 4625 44th St. To catch the children’s reactions, media should plan to be at the school prior to the arrival of buses at 1:30 p.m.

Fruit Ridge has been closed since February 18, after workers installing wireless technology came in contact with attic insulation containing a small concentration of asbestos fibers. Buildings throughout the country constructed prior to 1977 often contained asbestos. Fruit Ridge was built in 1937.

In the months since the school’s closure, Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) crews have completed an extensive asbestos removal project and made other facility improvements – including a brand new floor for the multipurpose room. Workers also repaired roof leaks and dry rot, patched walls, painted, and upgraded the school’s aging electrical system.

“We want the kids to know that when they return to school in the fall, they’re going to find a safe, beautiful, spotlessly clean campus waiting for them,” said Superintendent Jonathan Raymond. Friday is the last day of school for all 81 SCUSD campuses.

Originally, the work at Fruit Ridge was scheduled for completion on August 1. However, crews pushed hard to finish the project nearly two months early and about $200,000 under budget.

“I’m incredibly proud of this district for the way so many departments and people came together to provide the safest possible learning environment for our students,” said Superintendent Raymond. “This is a great example of our slogan: Putting children first.”