Leone & Keeble Inc., of Spokane, has been awarded a $2.6 million contract to modernize and expand a gymnasium in the Warden School District, located about 20 miles southeast of Moses Lake, in central Washington.

The project includes updating the district's 19,300-square-foot gymnasium, which is a stand-alone building that's shared by Warden High School and Warden Middle School, says Steve Walther, of ALSC Architects PS here and one of the project's lead architects.

The gym's locker rooms will be completely replaced and expanded, and slight modifications will be made to the lobby and concessions area of the gym, he says.

Plans for the gymnasium update include new hardwood floors, bleachers, and other interior improvements, says John Hultman, of the Spokane office of Hill International Inc. who is serving as project manager and owner's representative for the Warden School District.

Walther says construction of the new locker rooms will be done in a way to allow the district to add a mezzanine level above those spaces in the future, if needed.

"We are doing it like this in anticipation of additions in the future, so the roof is designed to be a floor if they need to do that expansion," he says.

Overall, about 3,100 square feet of space will be added to the building, bringing the structure's total size up to about 22,400 square feet, he says.

Hultman says construction is set to begin next March with an expected completion date in August of next year. He says the district is waiting until then to begin work on the gym because it's needed for the upcoming winter sports season.

Walther estimates the gym originally was constructed sometime during the early 1960s.