Building better learning environments
District employees, students, and community members were thrilled when their voices were heard, and the Centralia School District was granted a $74–million bond. This bond encompassed the modernization of Centralia High School (CHS) and the replacement of Fords Prairie and Jefferson Lincoln Elementary Schools. The district also received an OSPI STEM grant for $3.6 million, and OAC assisted the district in securing additional funds through the OSPI Healthy Kids grant.
The schools were originally built in 1968, 1947, and 1957 and contained serious structural deficiencies. They also had original environments that were not designed to meet the unique needs of the modern educational system. These deficiencies created physical limitations on the number and type of programs the district was able to offer its students. Striving to build better learning environments, the team set out to bring the district’s vision to life.
Completed nearly a year ahead of schedule, CHS campus’s modernization involved significant seismic improvements and other systems and infrastructure upgrades throughout to bring the school up to current standards. CHS had an aggressive and accelerated schedule to maximize state funding and minimize construction costs. The project also had a complex construction phasing and move schedule as various parts of the building were reconstructed.
The program has created a lasting impact on the community and will serve generations to come. Superintendent Mark Davalos says that “everyone is ecstatic” and this revitalization was “a solid investment in the future for the district’s schools, children and community.”