Step up to the plate and thank Spokane voters! Their support of the 2003 school bond is making possible a series of important improvements to district schools, including new Heating, Ventilation, and Air Condition (HVAC) systems, roofing, and floor covering installations at several elementaries, and parking lot and ball field improvements at North Central High School, starting this coming summer.

“The new HVAC systems at Sheridan, Willard and Arlington are designed to improve air quality, safety, and health for the students and staffers there,” says Associate Superintendent of School Support Services Dr. Mark Anderson. “Additionally, these same schools will be getting new roofs this summer and, next summer, new flooring systems throughout their sites, as well.”

Bemiss, Grant and Regal are slated for the same improvements, but their project schedule is reversed, so this summer their flooring systems will be installed, and next summer they will receive new HVAC and roof systems. The flooring systems are designed to improve staff and student safety, building function, and maintenance ease.

Because of the extent of work that needs to be completed during the brief summer break periods, staff and students at all impacted elementaries will be required to remain off of campus during construction. This will be a challenge in some ways for students accessing summer school programs and staff needing to prepare rooms for the start of school next fall, so families are encouraged to stay tuned for details regarding summer programs, registration, and communication during the busy weeks of summer construction.

Already, cargo containers have been placed on several elementary sites in order to secure items that need to be moved out of the way of district hardhat heroes, and, contracts have been awarded to Garco Construction Company of Spokane with Bernardo-Wills Architects of Spokane performing the HVAC and roofing design work. The new flooring is being purchased off a school district cooperative contract and will be installed by the Beresford Company.

Note that although classes and teachers will be ready and raring to go come September, that there may be some finishing work going on throughout the first few weeks of school next year. So just take a deep breath of that nice fresh air – and look forward to an improved school site thanks to local voters!

NORTH CENTRAL BOND WORK TO INCREASE
SAFETY & EXPAND SPORTS FIELDS

Students at North Central will no longer have to compete for hard-to-locate side-street parking thanks to bond work beginning at the school next month, nor will girls’ softball teams have to fight for field time with competing NC venue requirements.

Congestion in the neighborhood due to overflow parking from too-few student off-street parking spots will be a thing of the past once the new 100-stall parking lot is done. Students will no longer have to cross arterials or contend with poorly lit side streets as they make their way to and from school. Instead, they will be able to utilize an on-campus lot that will be built just northeast of the school building along Howard Street.

Red Diamond Construction of Spokane was awarded a contract to make the improvements. Bernardo-Wills Architects of Spokane designed and is overseeing the project which is slated for substantial completion prior to the start of the 2004-2005 school year. And, a first-class ball field for girls’ fast- and slow-pitch ball and improved stadium seating will be built as part of the slated bond work. A second project to improve the air quality at the school is also on tap as part of the current community-funded bond.