Hallett Elementary, middle school get underway, new alternative high school now moves to the design phase
By RYAN LANCASTER
Staff Reporter
Dual school construction projects in the Medical Lake district are moving right along and a third should start soon.
In February 2010 voters passed a $15.65 million capital improvement bond to fund additions to Medical Lake Middle School and Hallett Elementary. A low bid of $10.3 million bought Walker Construction the job, which creates a K-5 school at Hallett and expands the middle school to accommodate sixth through eighth grades.
Project manager Rusty Pritchard said now that the weather is cooperating middle school construction is moving quickly on a 44,000-square-foot addition that will include 12 new classrooms, a larger gymnasium with lockers, a new commons area and a new kitchen.
The existing building will also see improvements to administrative and library areas, new teacher/staff work rooms, two new computer labs and upgrades to the existing safety, communications and HVAC systems. The site plan includes additional visitor and staff parking areas and improvement to school bus circulation.
Last month the old bus barn was demolished to make way for a water line to the addition and footings and underground utilities were installed. Interior and exterior walls of the new gym are now rising and Pritchard said roof work should be well underway by the end of June.
The project was originally scheduled for completion this August but Pritchard said soppy weather over the winter led to complications that postponed the completion date to November, meaning some students will be housed in portable units at the start of school.
An 8,500-square-foot addition at Hallett includes six new classrooms and a small expansion to the school's kitchen. Adjacent playground space will be improved and reconfigured to accommodate the new wing, and the existing student drop off location will receive minor improvements.
The new addition's foundation is being formed and placement of concrete footings has begun. Most plantings have been placed in the wetland buffer area as per a mitigation plan, and Pritchard said the contractor has made a special effort to protect nearby wetlands from any impacts during the construction process. The school's proximity to wetlands is a big reason the project was not started until mid-March, but now that it has begun he estimates it should be substantially complete by mid-August, just in time to test new electrical and HVAC systems before the start of a new school year.
Superintendent Pam Veltri said the district has agreed to maintain all water lines on the Hallett property in order to keep the project moving forward. The city of Medical Lake previously maintained the lines as a courtesy to the district, but city officials said a new structural retaining wall built four feet from where the water line now sits would make repairs difficult. The district had the choice to either move the lines or take responsibility for their upkeep.
At the aged Medical Lake Elementary School, asbestos abatement work will begin in late June followed by the building's total demolition before the end of July. Pritchard said new baseball, softball and football/soccer fields will then be planted and ready for play by September.
Across town at 317 North Broad St. the district is gearing up for a major remodel of a former medical clinic purchased late last year for $180,000. The 5,000-square-foot building will house special services offices, currently at Hallett, and the alternative high school program, which has been in a portable near the district offices for about six years.
Veltri said designs are still being drawn up for how the building will be renovated and brought up to code. Once complete the plans will be submitted for city approval and work will begin shortly thereafter.
Alternative High School principal Trish Smith said she's “extremely excited” to move into an actual building, planned to have two larger classrooms, a lunch room and a conference room. With more than 50 kids in the program this year the current portable space is cramped and doesn't allow for much privacy, she said.
District business manager Don Johnson said all new building projects are so far staying right on track with the capital improvements budget.
Ryan Lancaster can be reached at ryan@cheneyfreepress.com
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