Construction of two new schools – Creekside Elementary and Highland Middle School – has started in the Mead School District north of Spokane, says Ned Wendle, the district’s director of facilities and planning.

The two projects, which were both designed by Spokane-based ALSC Architects, are being funded through the $114 million bond the district’s voters approved in 2018.

Wendle says construction started last month on the $38 million Highland Middle School project at 3515 W. Hawthorne Road, on the Five Mile Prairie.

He says Spokane Valley-based Graham Construction and Management Inc. is the contractor for the project, which involves building a two-story, 120,000-square-foot building with three classroom wings, band and choir rooms, tech labs, two gymnasiums, a wrestling room, and a commons-dining area.

“This building will have about 32 classrooms, as well as other ancillary rooms,” he says. “The project has an almost identical construction schedule to Creekside Elementary, so we’re hoping to be able to deliver the building in time for the 2020 school year.”

Wendle says Creekside Elementary is a $21 million project that involves building a two-story, 64,000-square-foot school at 3525 E. Hastings.

“This building will house students in grades K through five,” he says. “It will include 26 classrooms, a gym, a library, a multipurpose room, and a resource room.”

The contractor, Garco Construction Inc., of Spokane, started construction on the elementary school last month and is expected to complete the project by August 2020.

Wendle says Garco also is the contractor on two separate projects at Creekside Elementary, both of which will be built to the east, along Market Street near the district’s current warehouse facility.

The first is a $5 million, 15,000-square-foot maintenance building to house the district’s transportation department, and the second is a $17 million performing arts and athletic stadium complex that will feature seating for 4,500 people.

Wendle says the transportation department is expected to move to the new building by December, and the stadium complex should be ready to use by late 2020. 

Wendle says the opening of the new middle school is expected to relieve some congestion at the district’s elementary schools, at least temporarily.

“In building these facilities, we’re answering some pretty substantial growth,” he says. “If we continue to see this much growth, it won’t be long before we’ll be looking at building again.