Queen Creek USD details Mountain Trail Academy opening, Eastmark and Chrisman additions and new bus yard

Amber Bridal, business and operations staff for Queen Creek Unified School District, and project manager Bob Lawson updated the governing board on construction projects the district expects to bring online this summer. Mountain Trail Academy, an SFD‑awarded elementary school in Mesa, is a 90,000‑square‑foot K–6 campus planned to serve about 1,100 students and is scheduled to welcome students in July. A preschool program has already opened at the site.

Bridal said the district received the square‑foot awards from the Schools' Facility Division and is building facilities “by their scope, meeting the dollar amount that's been awarded.” She told the board the district serves about 15,300 students across 48 square miles and that enrollment figures will be updated in July.

Bob Lawson, who presented construction status details, said contractors were finishing punch‑list items and staff were moving furniture and supplies into Mountain Trail Academy ahead of a planned ribbon‑cutting in July. “The classroom furniture has been installed and the administration building furniture delivery and installation is underway now,” Lawson said.

At Eastmark High School, the district said a 62,500‑square‑foot allocation is being used to complete a gymnasium addition, physical education and performing arts classrooms and the remainder of an academic wing that will provide 23 classrooms. Lawson said exterior finishes and siding were nearly complete on the gym addition, interior finishes were about 90% complete, and HVAC startup and landscaping were scheduled in the coming week with substantial completion in July.

A southern high‑school addition of roughly 37,000 square feet will add 23 classrooms as part of a phased build that completes a master‑planned wing. At Chrisman, Lawson said rooftop HVAC units were being commissioned, flooring and casework were being installed, and kitchen equipment for the concession building was slated for July.

To address fleet parking shortages, district staff described a satellite transportation yard at Queen Creek Junior High School to provide overflow parking close to mechanics and operations. Lawson said base material compaction and curb and gutter were complete, paving and light‑pole installation were under way, and the contractor expected to finish the project this month. In response to a board question about neighbors, Lawson said the district had received “a couple calls” and told residents about added landscaping and that “it's not gonna be running, you know, 14 or 16 hours a day over there.”

Taken together, the projects are funded through Schools' Facility Division awards and related capital allocations; district staff said the carpet and finish upgrades discussed elsewhere on the agenda would be funded by remaining SFD dollars and would not use district operating money. District staff offered to answer additional questions from the board at the meeting.