School Work Construction Is In Full Swing At Several North Side Schools

Thu., Aug. 12, 1999

By Kristen Kromer kristenk@spokesman.com

It reads like a problem from an elementary school math book.

How much does it cost to build one performing arts auditorium, one fine arts building, one student center, one multi-purpose room, one band room, one choir room, one orchestra pit, one fire alarm and communication system, two parking lots, two theaters, two heating/air conditioning systems, four gymnasiums, four libraries, 11 acres of athletic fields, 52 offices, 118 classrooms, 1,150 auditorium seats and 1,944 lockers?

Include costs for several remodeling and restoration projects and multiply by tons of bricks, pounds of nails, gallons of paint and a small forest of trees.

The real-life answer: $66.3 million worth of North Side school construction projects on-going this summer.

Elementary through high school, public and private - schools are reacting to overcrowding and dated equipment by remodeling, restoring and in some cases, completely rebuilding.

Now, many administrators are preparing to deal with confusion and crowding. When school starts, students and construction crews at several schools will rotate in carefully choreographed movements designed for safety and to protect the learning environments as much as possible.

Turn to pages 6-8 for a rundown of what’s actually happening behind the clouds of dust at schools in North Spokane County.

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