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District: elementary, high-school construction on track for late-spring 2027 start; borings prompt ground-improvement plans
Summary
Project leads Matt and Liz told the board the district's elementary and high-school projects remain on schedule for a late-spring 2027 construction start; recent site borings revealed deep gravel layers that will require ground-improvement or pile systems and are being folded into cost estimating and permitting plans.
Project leads Matt Carlson and Liz Cliff updated the board on design, permitting and schedule for the district's elementary and high-school construction.
They said pre-application meetings with the city have produced a permitting-first approach that changes some internal timelines but preserves an anticipated construction start in late spring 2027. "Those timelines didn't change our anticipated start date for construction," Matt said, noting the team is staggering permitting and licensing to make the overall process smoother.
Recent geotechnical borings encountered deep gravel layers in places, the presenters said, and the design team is now investigating ground-improvement options and pile systems that will be tailored differently for the elementary school and the high school. "We're currently in the process of going through our first round of formal estimating for the elementary school," Matt said; the team will compare independent estimates from the design team and Scansa and then set a baseline.
The presenters emphasized an effort to maximize local participation in the build, including packaging contracts into smaller 'bites' to encourage bids from minority- and women-owned businesses and small local firms. They also described upcoming user-group meetings to define room-level details and a schedule of continued coordination with city departments for permitting, stormwater and fire-inspection reviews.
Why it matters: The projects are the district's largest near-term capital investments. The borings and subsequent foundation design choices can materially affect cost and schedule; the district is already factoring those risks into repeated rounds of cost estimating.
What's next: The design team will finish the first round of estimating and share a baseline budget with the board in the coming weeks, hold user-group meetings to finalize interior details, and continue monthly budgeting updates at board meetings.
