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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Construction under way on replacement schools

After three years of planning and designing, three replacement elementary schools are beginning to take shape in Spokane.

Driving through town, both north and south, it’s hard to miss the growing structures of brick, stone and metal at Lincoln Heights Elementary at East 22nd and Ray, Lidgerwood Elementary at Lidgerwood and East Rowan and Ridgeview Elementary at Maple and Joseph.

All three schools are scheduled to be completed by August.

“It’ll be nice to have everyone under one roof again,” said Valorie Chadwick, Lidgerwood Elementary principal.

For the past school year, she’s visited her students and staff, who have been moved to three different schools. Her colleagues at Lincoln Heights and Ridgeview have done the same. On a rare sunny afternoon in January, Greg Brown, director of capital projects for Spokane Public Schools, stood on the open-walled second floor of what will be the library at Lidgerwood.

“It’s pretty exciting to see it,” Brown said.

Where the walls meet the ceiling are open spaces for windows facing both north and south to let in more light. Brown also pointed out the reading areas where students will have views outside.

The school also is designed to be more accessible to the community, Brown said. The classroom portion can be closed off while an open entrance allows public access to a community room and the library for meeting space, Brown said.

One of the new additions in the three schools is a room dedicated to parent volunteers. It’s part of the public access element of the new designs.

“We all paid for these buildings, so we’re making sure we can all use them,” Brown said.

The almost $6 million school replaces the 1953 original. It’s one of several projects funded by the $166 million 2003 capital bond.

There’s also a design feature that positioned the gymnasium, cafeteria and music room together in a row. Each room is separated by motorized walls.

The walls can open to create a giant space bigger than what’s offered at other elementary schools.

“We created an 800-seat auditorium here by opening this up,” Brown said. “It really didn’t cost that much.”