QCUSD board hears progress updates on Mountain Trail, Eastmark and Crisman projects; turf work underway at Queen Creek High

President Davis convened the Queen Creek Unified School District governing board to a construction update that detailed progress at four active building sites and the district’s plans to add space for continued enrollment growth.

The presentation, led by district staff and construction manager Bob Lawson, covered Mountain Trail Academy, Eastmark High School additions, Crisman High School work and a turf replacement at Queen Creek High School. District staff said funding for the projects has come from outside sources including the state School Facilities Division and a water-conservation grant.

The construction update matters because the district is serving roughly 15,300 students and, according to applied-economics projections cited by staff, could add about 3,000–4,000 students over time; the projects are intended to create classroom capacity to meet that growth.

Bob Lawson said Mountain Trail Academy (a K–6 school awarded through the School Facilities Division) is a roughly 90,000-square-foot building expected to support more than 1,100 students and is scheduled to open in July 2025. Work at that site includes completed interior painting, restroom tile and casework installation, HVAC and plumbing, metal trim, drywall, concrete curb and sidewalks and a finished shade play structure behind the school.

At Eastmark High School, Lawson said contractors had finished truss work for the gym addition and were preparing to deck the roof; interior framing, drywall and HVAC ductwork were underway in the performing-arts wing and classroom addition. The district said the Eastmark additions represent about 62,500 square feet allocated by the School Facilities Division.

Crisman High School work is advancing as well: interior wall framing is nearly complete, drywall installation has begun, first-floor work is nearly done, second-floor work is starting, and roof-truss installation is complete with decking beginning. The district reported roughly 37,000 square feet allocated for Crisman, which represents about half of the campus capacity described in the district master plan.

The turf replacement at Queen Creek High School reached final-level grading; contractors were trenching for field drainage, installing underground electrical and irrigation lines, and excavating storm retention with drain-pipe tie-ins in progress.

During the public-comment portion, Lanny Brown, a community member and track coach’s family member, asked the board to publish the general-contractor (GC) Gantt schedule for the turf project so residents with construction backgrounds can verify progress. Brown also asked the board to schedule a future agenda item addressing replacement needs for the track, and to explain district preventive-maintenance policy and the turf warranty for the public. Brown said, "Can we have the Gantt project schedule published this week, to the public so that we can see from a construction standpoint that we're on target," and requested that track needs and preventive maintenance be addressed at a March–May meeting.

Board members did not take additional action on those public requests during the meeting; they heard the requests and retained the option to direct staff to study or schedule the matters for a future agenda.

No cost changes or contract contingencies for projects beyond the guaranteed maximum price (GMP) item addressed elsewhere on the agenda were reported during the update. District staff closed the presentation by noting the work will continue through spring in advance of summer openings and that the projects are funded primarily by state facility allocations and other outside sources.

Less critical details: staff showed a time-lapse video of construction, and the board proceeded to the superintendent’s report and other agenda items after the construction updates.