Garco Construction Inc., of Spokane, is set to begin work this summer on a new gym and “educare” facility at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Catholic School, at 611 E. Mission. 

Plans on file with the City of Spokane show the project has an estimated total cost of $4.9 million and will include construction of a two-story, 24,200-square-foot building, consisting of a 17,300-square-foot gymnasium and 6,900 square feet of classroom space. 

Angie Krauss, principal at St. Aloysius, says the new facility will be located just north of the school’s current main building and will be constructed in two phases. 

“The first phase will be just the main first floor, which will include two full-sized courts, an event center, and five education classrooms,” she says. “The second floor will be left unfinished for now, but is planned so we can eventually build it out to suit future needs.” 

Krauss says the school has been fundraising for the project for the past three or four years. So far, it has raised about $2.8 million.

“We’ve applied for some grants and reached our fundraising goal for the start of construction, although we realize once construction has started, those costs may increase,” she says. 

Krauss says the new facility is intended to help the school serve both its students and its parish community better. 

 “This new building will provide a wonderful new gathering place that also gives us room to keep growing and continue our mission,” she says. 

Katie Fitzpatrick, marketing director for Garco Construction, says the project is expected to begin mid-June and to be completed in August.

Founded in 1916, St. Aloysius Gonzaga Catholic School initially was located on the Gonzaga University campus, but moved to its current site at 611 on Mission Avenue in 1940. The building’s east wing was added 10 years later. The school currently serves 470 students from prekindergarten through eighth grade, and employs 70 people.