UPDATED: 8:10 p.m.
District construction manager Jessica Binda-Rischow led the way through the rebuilt sections of the facility that the two schools will now share.
The building at Broad and Spring Garden streets has separate entrances for the two high schools, but students will share a gym.
Jim Creedon, interim district facilities chief, said extensive air testing has shown the building is now safe for students and staff.
"We did 120 different samples throughout the building about two weeks ago, now. Everything cleared, and there were no problems," Creedon said.
"Two high schools are now having a brand new building and a modernized facility, and taking advantage of the use of this facility still becomes a model for how we can think about this moving forward," Superintendent William Hite said.
Preparing for a second first day of school
The day before the school was to reopen, teachers and volunteer parents helped set up classrooms.
Steve Cohen, whose daughter is a junior at SLA, spent Presidents Day unpacking supplies in a storeroom, hoping for a smooth return for students.
“I'm good right now. I've got a lot of trust in the work that people have done, and the fact that not only the district but the teachers union and a parent group have been involved in this work so far.”
SLA engineering teacher John Kamal said his students and fellow faculty made the best of the situation, and he echoed the same confidence that the asbestos is gone.
"I have no concerns right now at all about the health of the building. I'm glad that all of the interventions were taken to be able to make it as healthy as it could be for the kids," Kamal said.
"I think the school has done an excellent job supporting him through it, and his teachers have been really amazing," she said.
Hite said the original price tag to retrofit the Franklin building was $37 million, before the asbestos abatement.
"We think the project will land probably in the $45- to $50 million range when all is said and done."
Hite said asbestos and lead are symptoms of a district where 80% of its buildings are more than 70 years old.
Ben Franklin and SLA are two of nine schools that have had to temporarily close this school year for asbestos abatement.
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