MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — Elementary schools in Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood are scheduled for replacement by fall 2018.
Classes at Mountlake Terrace Elementary and Lynnwood Elementary will be moved to other campuses during the 2017-18 academic year while the new schools are built, said Matt Finch, construction manager with the Edmonds School District.
Both schools still are being designed, with construction expected to start next summer. The cost estimate for Mountlake Terrace Elementary is $26 million, and $29 million for Lynnwood Elementary. Each will have more than two dozen classrooms.
The designs are different for the two schools, but each campus will take into account modern safety concerns, including earthquake protection, Finch said. Each campus also is expected to hold a two-story wing of classrooms, a gymnasium and a separate cafeteria and commons building.
Older schools tend to have buildings connected by outdoor walkways, a style that is no longer popular in this part of the country.
The number of classrooms is similar to the current schools, but the new campuses will include more smaller meeting spaces. There are more small groups and educational programs in schools today than there were in the 1950s, when Mountlake Terrace Elementary opened.
“We want the (building) environment to support the 21st century learning style and setting,” Finch said.
During the 2017-18 school year, Mountlake Terrace Elementary will be housed at the former Woodway Elementary campus. Lynnwood Elementary students will go to school at the current Alderwood Middle School, which is being rebuilt at another site.
The new Alderwood Middle School is scheduled to open this winter break, in time for January classes. That will make the old campus available for Lynnwood Elementary.
Meanwhile, Lynndale Elementary also is scheduled to reopen at its new location in January 2017.
The Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood elementary projects are funded through a bond approved by voters in 2014. Each school is built to last about 50 years. Populations within those schools are expected to remain stable for at least the next decade, Finch said.
Also, the Lynnwood bus barn has been moved, and its former site near I-5 will likely be listed for sale pending cleanup and demolition.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com; @rikkiking.
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