School may be out for the summer, but the Camas School District is still buzzing.
The chatter of students and teachers has been replaced with the grind of construction equipment. This summer, the district will wrap-up a couple of capital projects, break ground on a few more and inch closer to the construction of a new elementary school.
This summer’s activity will complete the project list for the $113 million capital improvement bond issue local voters approved in February 2007, said Heidi Rosenberg, director of capital programs.
Hayes Freedom High School
Construction of the alternative Hayes Freedom High School wrapped up in mid-June.
The 20,500-square-foot school is at 1919 N.E. Ione St., the site of the former district office. The state provided about $2.4 million for the construction of the new school, with the bond covering about $3.9 million in construction costs, Rosenberg said.
The district was eligible for state money for the Hayes Freedom construction and improvements to Camas High School because it removed the 48,000-square-foot Garfield Performing Arts Center building from educational use, Rosenberg said.
Hayes Freedom students were most recently housed in a wing of the former J.D. Zellerbach Elementary School. The new high school, which opens this fall, can accommodate 200 students. The school will have an open house Sept. 2.
Doc Harris Stadium
The replacement stadium is now about 70 percent complete and should be ready for the Papermakers’ first home football game this fall.
The new Doc Harris Stadium will seat 3,000 spectators on the home side and another 1,000 people in the covered visitors’ stands. The $6.4 million construction cost also includes replacing the track and turf at the stadium at 841 N.E. 22nd Ave.
Clark Public Utilities built and mounted two boxes on tall poles to attract a pair off osprey from their former nesting site atop light poles at the stadium.
JDZ Elementary conversion
Now that Hayes Freedom students are out of the JDZ building, construction crews can begin the remodel work at the former elementary school. By the end of the year, the school will be converted into the district headquarters.
The change will mean school district employees who are scattered in buildings throughout the city, and even one location in Washougal, will be under one roof. The print shop at Camas High School will be relocated to the district office as well, Rosenberg said.
The project will create offices and transform the former library into a new board room. The conversion has a $848,000 price tag. Construction will begin this week and everyone should be relocated by the end of winter break, Rosenberg said.
Dorothy Fox addition, renovation
Renovations and additions to Dorothy Fox Elementary School are now under way.
The improvements will move most of the 10 classrooms in portables into seven new classrooms within the school. The nearly $4 million project also will expand the cafeteria, construct a new gymnasium and renovate the library space to include a new computer room, Rosenberg said.
Construction began last week and will continue throughout the upcoming school year. The work should be complete by next fall.
Camas High School addition, renovation
Construction will also begin this summer to renovate Camas High School.
The district received a $6.1 million construction bid for the project. Within the next week or so, the district also will know whether it will receive a $3.2 million match from the state. Construction could begin as early as Monday and should wrap-up next summer.
The construction will add about 25,000 square feet to the building and increase the school’s capacity by 350 students. The project will renovate another 10,000 square feet, Rosenberg said.
The project includes a new student commons, training classroom, wrestling and dance rooms and classroom wing, which will add the equivalent of 11 classrooms. The project also will expand the library and renovate the physical education areas and the front entrance of the school, Rosenberg said.
The project also includes a $77,000 remodel of the Camas High School life skills area.
CHS baseball, softball drainage improvements
The district will spend about $190,000 this summer to improve the drainage on the high school baseball and softball fields.
The underground system will keep water from pooling on the fields — a problem that kept the teams off the fields nearly the entire season, Rosenberg said. The fields will be ready for use next spring.
New east elementary school
The district has also taken the initial steps to build a new elementary school in east Camas.
DOWA Architects recently completed the preliminary design of the school, which will be on property off Southeast Crown Road, near the intersection with Southeast 23rd Street. The district purchased the 12.8-acre site in 2007. Design work will continue this summer.
The project will go out to bid next spring, with construction scheduled to begin next summer. The school is slated to open in the fall of 2013.
The district purchased $15 million in Qualified School Capital Bonds, offered through the federal stimulus package. The low-interest bonds will save Camas taxpayers millions of dollars, Rosenberg said. Construction is expected to cost about $15.5 million, she said.
The 70,000-square-foot elementary school will accommodate 600 students.
Marissa Harshman: 360-735-4546 or marissa.harshman@columbian.com.
