The community came out to celebrate construction starting for a new Moses Lake elementary school Thursday night.

1. More photos here

MOSES LAKE — The community came out to celebrate construction starting for a new Moses Lake elementary school Thursday night.

Park Orchard Elementary School is estimated for completion in August 2011.

The school is located at Paxson Drive and is modeled after Sage Point Elementary School, built last year.

“Once we get the foundation down, construction for this school should go fairly quickly,” said Monte Redal, deputy superintendent. “We are designing the new school after Sage Point, copying what has worked and adjusting to what has not worked.”

There were only minor issues with Sage Point’s facility, which construction workers are noting as they build Park Orchard’s facility, said Michelle Price, superintendent.

“The biggest difference is that Park Orchard is going to be rectangular in design instead of circular like Sage Point is,” Price said. “We did this mainly because we wanted to make sure Park Orchard had its own identity. It’s designed after its surrounding area, in the same way Sage Point’s design reflects the sand dunes.”

The new school is nearly 10 acres in size and is adjacent to Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church. Many students who will attend the school are able to ride their bikes or walk to school, Price said.

“We are really looking for this to be a community area,” Price said.

Next door is a five-acre site the City of Moses Lake owns and is building a park on. Students attending the school will have a playground near the facility.

“Our community is continuing to grow and we need to make sure we are providing growth in terms of new facilities to accommodate needs,” said Moses Lake Mayor Jon Lane.

A new Boys & Girls of the Columbia Basin clubhouse is being built next to the school. Although in separate buildings, the elementary school and clubhouse are sharing facilities in order to maximize tax dollars, Price explained.

Although the school and clubhouse are interrelated, they are independent. Their boards meet separately, but with the same architect, to plan design and construction.

Funding is different as well. The school is using a bond received in 2007 with state matching funds, while the club is building through fund-raising efforts, direct donations and grants, Price said.

The total cost for Park Orchard is around $10 million. Boys & Girls Club members are working on fund-raising efforts before construction begins, Redal said.

“We are a growing community and the district is really working to accommodate overcrowding occurring in schools,” Price said.

There is a long-range planning committee working on solving the high school’s overcrowding issue. The district can’t make plans to build a new high school or add on to the current one until they reach requirements set by the state, Price said.

“We will have around 8,000 students in our district next year, which shows how much we’ve grown,” Price said. “It feels good to see construction starting for this elementary school because it will help our elementary students receive the best education they can.”