May 11 groundbreaking set for new Lake Wilderness Elementary School

May 11 groundbreaking set for new Lake Wilderness Elementary School

With construction of the new Tahoma High School at the halfway point, it is time to begin the other big project funded by the 2013 construction bond measure: the new Lake Wilderness Elementary School.

Groundbreaking is scheduled for 2 p.m. on May 11 to construct a new building on the upper playground at the present school. All students and staff will gather on the upper playground and will receive souvenir shovels and hard hats to commemorate the project's start. The ceremony, which should last about 30 minutes, is open to the community. Visitors are asked to park at Lake Wilderness Park and walk to the school, since there is no parking available on campus. All visitors must check in at the main office.
The groundbreaking is a celebration but is also a reminder that the next 16 months will require everyone's cooperation and understanding. Construction will continue throughout the school year as students attend classes in the existing buildings. The new school will be ready for students when school starts in September 2017. The old school will be demolished and a large playfield will be created adjacent to Witte Road. The current front parking lot will be retained and new parking will be added.
"We're asking for everyone's cooperation to ensure the process goes smoothly," Superintendent Rob Morrow said. "We will ask our students, staff and parents to put up with some inconvenience now so that we can create a great learning environment for many years to come."

Forma Construction will begin moving equipment onto the site a few days prior to the groundbreaking. A chain-link fence will be installed to separate construction work from the school. Construction workers and suppliers will use the school's south entrance on Witte Road and build an access road onto the upper playground. When students leave for summer break in mid-June, a second construction entrance will be established on the north end of the campus, which will close that entrance to other vehicles. Creating access for construction workers and vehicles means that the school's already congested parking lots will be busier and will require elimination of several parking places to make room for big vehicles.

To help reduce traffic congestion at the school, construction workers will park their personal vehicles at Lake Wilderness Park and be bused to the construction site. Parents will be asked to avoid driving students to school unless it is absolutely necessary. Students should ride school buses whenever possible.

The new school will house 750 students, which is below the school's current enrollment by more than 300 students. The school district will open two more elementary schools, Cedar River and Tahoma, in September 2017 as part of a districtwide reorganization made possible by construction of the new high school.