As Construction Crews Dig In, Ground Broken For New CV High

Thu., Sept. 7, 2000

By Marny Lombard marnyl@spokesman.com (509) 927-2166

Graders and scrapers growled their way through the topsoil. The tennis courts crumbled before an enthusiastic excavator.

In front of it all, 10 gold-plated shovels stood neatly in a patch of well-tilled soil, carefully prepped so that no dignitary would encounter a stubborn stone.

Welcome to the groundbreaking for the new Central Valley High School.

“You can see that Garco Construction is not bashful about getting going,” said Central Valley Superintendent Wally Stanley. “This is the official groundbreaking, but we’ve been upstaged.”

A crowd of teachers, students, parents and a sprinkling of younger brothers and sisters took it all in. They cheered the CV band and cheerleaders who came out for the occasion.

The new building, which will open in 2002, will move the district from three-year to four-year high schools. It will boast a 575-seat theater, two gyms, the ability to use the latest - and future - technology, officials say.

“Getting to this day has been a long journey,” Central Valley School Board President Craig Holmes told the gathering. “Along the way we’ve learned a great lesson - that by working together we can accomplish great things for our children.”

Student leader Bri Johnson spoke as well. The ASB president pointed out that the schools won’t be made great by bricks and mortar alone, but by spirited, involved student leadership.

After the speeches, the school board moved indoors for one of the shortest school board meetings on record.

In just under five minutes, the board awarded the construction contract for the new University High School, which will be a mirror image of the new CV High.

Lydig Construction won the contract for U-Hi with a base bid of $29.4 million. The board approved a dozen alternates on top of that base bid, bringing the construction total to $29.9 million. The alternates address things ranging from concrete mow strips for $55,000 and moveable walls for $39,000, to a wheelchair lift into the orchestra pit for $18,000.

The groundbreaking for U-Hi, which will be built at 32nd Avenue and Pines Road, will be held at 5 p.m. on Sept. 18. That is also U-Hi’s Back to School Night.

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