Spokane Public Schools is wrapping up the design phase for the upcoming Finch Elementary restoration and modernization project, and the district expects to approve a design team next month for a planned Hutton Elementary modernization project, says Greg Brown, the district's director of capital improvements.

In all, major projects under construction or at the design stage in the school district are budgeted at more than $175 million.

The Finch and Hutton projects, budgeted at $26.9 million and $28.8 million, respectively, are the fourth and fifth major school construction projects that will be funded by the $288 million bond measure approved by voters in 2009.

Two of the three earlier major construction projects are under way—the $59 million Ferris High School modernization and replacement project and the $18 million Jefferson Elementary replacement project. The $16.4 million Westview Elementary replacement project is substantially complete, and the school opened to students at the beginning of the school year.

Meantime, the district also has issued a call for qualifications for a design team for additions and improvements at North Central High School and Mullan Road Elementary for fast-track projects budgeted at a total of $25.4 million, Brown says.

Finch Elementary, located at 3717 N. Milton, originally was built in 1924, and the main building was expanded with additions in 1926, 1930, and 1946, to a total of 48,100 square feet of permanent floor space, he says. Two of the structure's three wings face Providence Avenue and Milton Street, and a third is attached to the south end of the Milton wing.

A total of 12,700 square feet of portable building space has been added to the campus since 1956, Brown says.

Because the main building harkens back to pre-World War II architecture, it will be preserved and remodeled, and an aesthetically compatible addition will replace the portables, he says.

New construction will include an east wing addition to the school, making the main building surround an open courtyard. The addition will include at least 13 classrooms, the site plan for the project shows.

"We're using an oval floor plan," Brown says. "It works well with one-story schools."

The Finch project will bring the permanent space up to about 60,000 square feet, he says.

The district hopes to solicit contractor bids for the Finch project next spring and reopen the school in the fall of 2014, Brown says. Due to the construction schedule during the 2013-2014 school year, Finch students and staff will be based at the old Westview school buildings, at 6104 N. Moore, just north of the new Westview school, he says, adding that the old Westview structures will be demolished later.

Although the district doesn't plan to demolish any of the existing permanent structures at Finch, that project likely will cost more than building a completely new school, Brown says.

"Because of the age of the building, it's going to require structural modifications and lead and asbestos abatement," he says. "It will be more expensive than building from scratch."

The cost includes purchasing additional property to make room for the expanded facility, he says.

Madsen Mitchell Evenson & Conrad PLLC, of Spokane, designed the Finch project. The firm also designed the Jefferson Elementary replacement project, which is in an early-construction phase at the northeast corner of 37th Avenue and Manito Boulevard on the South Hill and is scheduled to open in the fall of next year.

T.W. Clark Construction LLC, of Spokane Valley, is the contractor on the Jefferson project with a bid of $12.3 million. Brown says the district now estimates the total cost of the Jefferson project, likely will be $18 million, including sales tax, permit costs, architectural fees, equipment, and furniture. The project originally was budgeted at $24.8 million, he says.

The school board is expected to approve a design team for the Hutton Elementary restoration and modernization project at its Oct. 10 meeting, Brown says.

The Hutton project, at 908 E. 24th, will include demolishing nonhistorical additions, modernizing the original 1931 Spanish-design structure, constructing new classroom wings, removing portable classrooms, and expanding the parking lot.

A contractor will be selected in the spring of 2014, and the school tentatively is scheduled to open in the fall of 2015, Brown says.

During construction, Hutton students and staff will hold school on the old Jefferson Elementary campus, at the northwest corner of 37th Avenue and Grand Boulevard, he says.

Brown says all of the bond projects so far are coming in under their original budgets. Because of that, all of the North Central project and most of the Mullan Road project will be funded through savings realized in earlier projects, he says.

The North Central project will include a $16 million, 30,000-square-foot classroom addition to the high school at 1600 N. Howard.

The Mullan project originally was planned as a $4 million upgrade to the school's flooring, roofing, and heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system. The district now plans to add another $5.4 million to the project at 2616 E. 63rd to replace 10 classrooms and support space in the school's 56-year old Comstock addition that was moved to the Mullan campus from Comstock Park in 1977.

The district recently placed the North Central and Mullan projects in the construction queue, and an advisory committee will interview design-team finalist for both projects in coming weeks, Brown says. The estimated construction period for both projects is 2014 to 2015.

Here's a rundown of other ongoing or upcoming construction in the school district:

•The Ferris High School modernization and replacement, which is the largest bond-funded project, is on pace to be completed a year from now at a cost of $59 million, well under the original construction budget of $71 million. Garco Construction Inc., of Spokane, is the contractor on the project, located at the southeast corner of 37th and Regal Street, and Spokane-based NAC|Architecture designed it.

•The Salk Middle School gym replacement, budgeted at $14.5 million, is in the initial design phase with Spokane-based NAC|Architecture as the architect. The project, at 6411 N. Alberta, will replace the smallest of the district's five middle school gyms with a modern athletic center. It's scheduled to go out for contractor bids next spring and to be completed in the fall of 2014.

•The Hart Field athletic facilities renovations, budgeted at $2.5 million, will go to bid next spring. Madsen Mitchell Evenson & Conrad designed the project, located south of 37th, between the current and future Jefferson school sites. The project will include improving the field, the field house, and athletic facilities there.