Construction crews are nearing the halfway point on the new Stanwood high school. They help by this time next year kids will be filling the classroom at this $147 million project that was approved by voters in 2017. Staff is scheduled to move in next November and students will call the new school home starting in January 2021. [Source]
The Stanwood high school project is still on schedule according to Liz Jamison, construction manager for the Stanwood Camano School District. Nearly 120 construction employees work on the project every day, which is located on the corner of Highway 532 and 72nd Ave., Northwest. This will create Stanwood’s largest building ever. Roofers are currently on-site and glass is being installed of this week. Masons are working on the outer construction and drywall is getting installed within the next month. The building has seen more than 6400 yd.³ of concrete and more than 500 tons of steel reinforcing bar. When complete, the Stanwood high school will feature over 4500 pieces of steel and more than 300 miles of wire.
The Stanwood high school is designed to hold 1200 high school students, even though that would put the facility at about 65% capacity. This means there will be plenty of room for enrollment growth, new teachers, new jobs, and the building is designed to allow for additional class space to be built on the west and when or if needed.
To the Northwest, construction workers are building the new Career and Technical Education Shops, which includes a space for new classrooms, shop workspace, and greenhouses. This facility is being constructed next to the existing high school, and that’s been a little bit of concern to some parents and school officials. The existing school has more than 80 exterior classroom doors and with so many people on an off-site, some parents have voiced a bit of concern. However, this new three-story high school is designed to be more secure with exterior doors that have access controls and only one main entryway that the students and visitors must enter through.
Even locals are getting involved with a three-day public feedback event this last weekend where people can choose the furniture, desks, and chairs for the new campus.
The bond that voters pass back in 2017 is also paying for a new maintenance center located next to the tennis courts. Once the new campus is completed, the old school will be torn down and replaced with parking lots and artificial turf practice fields.
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