Mead Basks In Community Spirit School District Officials Marvel At Support That Approved Bond Issue
Mead School District officials are sounding like the 1970s band “Sister Sledge” after district voters approved a $25 million bond on Tuesday.
“It would have been really easy for the folks on the east side of the district to say, ‘Hey, we have our new school (Mt. Spokane High School),’ and vote against it,” said Mead High Principal Mick Miller on Wednesday. “This reaffirms the Mead community.”
Ah, yes, “We Are Family.”
“It’s a very nice feeling,” Miller added. “Not just the passing, but the kind of support that was displayed in the passage.”
Unofficially 65.6 percent of the voters approved the bond; 74.6 percent approved the $16 million operations renewal levy. A record 7,150 votes were cast.
Counting bond money, district savings and money from the state, $31 million will go to overhaul Mead. The next step for district officials is to figure out which design project works best for the school.
“The outside stays the same, but the inside is going to be markedly different,” Miller said.
Though the “Mead Mall” will move 45 to 50 feet east of where it currently sits, the concept of the pit - a pedestrian hangout for students during lunch - will remain the same.
Construction bids on the project are scheduled to go out next January. The final design needs to be decided by June or July, Miller said.
The reconstructed Mead will resemble Mt. Spokane High School on the inside. Mt. Spokane has 227,000 square feet, while Mead currently has 215,000. Additions to Mead will put the school in the neighborhood of 230,000 square feet.
Construction is scheduled to start in May 1999 and will last 20 to 24 months. The project will be completed in phases. When school is in session, a portion of the building will be vacated for the contractor.
Students will attend classes around the construction area.
Miller concedes it won’t be easy.
“It’s going to be a pretty invasive procedure,” Miller said, “but the architects are confident it can be done in a way that isn’t detrimental to the kids.”
, DataTimes