The East Grand School District plans to start construction on a new Granby Elementary School in the spring and open it in August 2023. Colleen Kaneda from Dynamic Program Management, the owner agent working on bond program improvements, gave a project update at the June 21 school board meeting.

Kaneda said construction of the new school was originally planned for phase one of the bond-funded improvements, along with renovations to East Grand Middle School and the career technical education building at Middle Park High School. 

While work has gone forward at the middle and high schools this summer, high costs and issues securing contractors delayed new school construction, school board president Ed Raegner said.

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“Some of the feedback we got from contractors was, ‘Hey we really want to be on this project, but … your timeline is too aggressive,’” Raegner said. “‘We don’t have time to address it, so give us more time and you can get more bids.’”

The projects at the middle school and technical education building include roof repairs and HVAC improvements, Raegner said. Kaneda said the middle school will see more cosmetic upgrades next summer. The high school and Fraser Valley Elementary School will see improvements in phase two of the bond projects.

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The new Granby Elementary will have a different design than its original plan. Kaneda said the high estimated construction cost for the original design led Dynamic to consider ways to save money without cutting square footage or programs for students. The new design, which was the second choice in the original design process, moves the school uphill and makes it more linear.

“We’re not losing programs for the students,” Kaneda said. “The students are still going to get the same experience in the spaces, but we’re going to be able to save on construction costs from a design perspective.”

Each grade level, kindergarten through fifth, will have four classrooms in the new elementary school, according to plans shown at the board meeting. The design also includes three pre-K classrooms, severe needs and special education classrooms, art and science rooms, a cafeteria and kitchen, counselor offices and a gymnasium. Separate playgrounds for pre-K and elementary students and a play field will be outside the school.

Raegner said the district needs to replace Granby Elementary because of the building’s capacity, which has been exceeded for a few years, and its age. 

“I’m 52 and there are friends of mine who say, ‘Oh, well I went to school there,” Raegner said. “And people who are older than me who say, ‘Oh yeah, I graduated from there 100 years ago!’”