The 65-year-old Lakes Middle School, located at 930 N. 15th, in Coeur d’Alene, is undergoing a $4 million addition and renovation, and construction on a new $12 million elementary school is scheduled to start this summer.

Both projects are funded by a $35.5 million bond measure approved by voters in 2017.

The 81,000-square-foot Lakes Middle School is being expanded with a 17,300-square-foot addition, which will include relocating, expanding, and remodeling the choir room, adding a second gym, and adding a new band room, says Jeff Voeller, director of operations for the Coeur d’Alene School District.

The new construction will turn the U-shaped building into a full square structure, Voeller says.

About 5,000 square feet of the existing structure will undergo renovations, he says. The renovations will include remodeling the front office and adding a secured entry. 

The project also will include expanded space for the industrial arts program and a new media library center, he says.

The foundation has been poured and the walls are being framed, Voeller says. Construction is expected to be completed by the time school starts in September.

Ginno Construction Co., of Coeur d’Alene, is the contractor on the project, which was designed by Longwell+Trapp Architects, of Hayden.

Currently, Lakes Middle School serves sixth through eighth grades and has about 690 students and 61 employees, including certified, classified, and administrative staff.

Also in the project pipeline is a new $12 million, 53,400-square-foot elementary school, Voeller says.

The yet-to-be-named school is planned on 7 acres of land on Prairie Avenue, Voeller says. The facility will accommodate students from the Northwest Expedition Academy, a project-based learning facility.

Coeur d’Alene-based Architects West Inc. is designing the project, and the district currently is finalizing designs and intends to send the project out for construction bids within the next two weeks.

The two-story facility will have at least 28 classrooms, Voeller says, and will include a cafeteria and gymnasium.

The district intends to break ground in July, he says, and hopes to open the school by September 2020.

The current facility, located on the corner of Hayden Avenue and Government Way in Hayden, is at capacity with 320 students, he says. The new facility will have a 550-student capacity.

“Space is really kind of a premium right now,” says Voeller. “We’ve seen a lot of growth in this area, and we still have continued needs for long-range planning and looking at options.”

Also included in the 2017 bond was the expansions of Lake City High School and Coeur d’Alene High School, which were completed in November and December of 2018, respectively, and the $2.3 million addition to Dalton Elementary School. A parking lot reconfiguration at the Fernan STEM Academy, which was completed in August 2018, and the reflooring of the Hayden Meadows Elementary school gym, which was completed in July 2018, were included as well, according to project updates on the district website. 

The Coeur d’Alene School District currently has 11 elementary schools, three middle schools, two high schools, and one alternative high school. Voeller says the district serves 10,800 students.

Due to an influx of population to the area, the schools are running out of space for students, he says.  

“Nearly all of our schools are at or near capacity,” he says. “Even with this new elementary school, there’s still going to be future needs for additional schools … especially in the middle schools and probably an additional elementary school coming up in the future that would be considered under future bond projects.”