SNOHOMISH — Elijah Spencer is eager to go back to school Tuesday.
So are hundreds of other children at Machias and Riverview elementary schools in the Snohomish School District.
Roughly 850 students from the two schools have been sharing space on the former Snohomish Freshman Campus, 801 Glen St., since fall 2009.
Their old campuses were demolished. They will be returning to spotless, fresh-smelling new buildings.
Elijah, 6, is excited to explore his new digs at Machias Elementary School.
“I want to see the new playground and to see what new toys are on it,” Elijah said. “I want to see my new classroom. I want to find out where I am sitting and what my desk looks like. I want to go up and down the elevator if they let me.”
Actually, Elijah and most students will use the stairs. The elevator primarily will be used by students with special needs.
Money for the projects comes from a $261 million bond measure Snohomish School District voters approved in 2008. It also is paying for renovation and expansion at Centennial Middle School, replacement of Valley View Middle School, more construction at Snohomish High School and a new aquatics center.
With contractors hungry for work during the recession, both elementary schools will have cost less to build than their original estimates. The bill for Machias will be around $31 million compared to early projections of $36.6 million; Riverview’s tab is expected to be $33 million compared to the preliminary estimates of $37 million.
The savings come as a relief for a district hit hard by skyrocketing construction costs a few years ago. Together, three major school construction projects, including Glacier Peak High School, were millions of dollars above the estimates voters were given in 2004 when they approved the bonds to build them.
At the time, analysts blamed surging costs on several factors. Steel, concrete and copper wiring were at a premium because of China’s construction boom and the rebuilding in the Gulf Coast region following Hurricane Katrina. Construction projects closer to home, such as high-rises in downtown Bellevue, were gobbling up workers and intensifying competition for labor.
When the economy hit the skids, it made school projects more appealing to contractors.
“The pendulum has swung the other way,” said Steve Moore, program manager for the district’s capital projects program.
District officials hope a bid for construction at Valley View Middle School also will come in low. Bids are expected Jan. 20. Valley View students will begin attending the old freshman campus Tuesday to make room for construction at their school.
Machias and Riverview have been replaced by two-story buildings. Both schools make heavy use of windows to use natural light. They also have small sections of vegetation on their roofs.
Elijah hoped to see a goat nibbling away on the roof at Machias, an image he saw in a drawing.
The low-growth ground cover won’t need mowing, or a goat, for that matter, district spokeswoman Kristin Foley said.
There are plenty of nice touches at both schools.
Riverview offers glimpses of the Cascade and Olympic mountains as well as Mount Baker.
Both schools recycled beams for their ceilings from the old buildings. Some of the wood also was used for steps to the second floor at Riverview and stairs to the stage at Machias.
Riverview Principal Tammy Jones said everyone is excited for Tuesday, herself included.
“We are going home,” Jones said. “The wait was definitely worth it. I can’t wait to see the eyes of the kids walking through the door.”
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com.
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