Final Steel Goes Up on First Phase

It was an exciting day on the construction site when the final piece of steel went up on Phase I. Crew and school personnel signed the beam and witnessed it swinging into place. It is amazing to see the building taking shape.

Amazing Progress!

It is really happening! The visible progress on the new campus is remarkable. Steel has gone up and you can now see the footprint of the new buildings. Construction is happening at such a pace that each day brings a noticeable difference. It is hard to believe - one year from now, as students return, we will inhabit these spaces. If you haven't seen the campus lately, drive by and view the progress for yourself. Exciting!!

Demolition Nears Completion

For folks driving by the Issaquah High School campus, there have been a few slight visible changes - fencing up, construction zone delineated, wall built. The bulk of the demolition process has been taking place to the rear of the existing building. Today, however, you would surely notice the fact that the old Commons is gone! Standing at the front of the school you can now see directly through to the road at the rear of the campus. The Main Gym is the final building to come down. That should be complete in the next couple of weeks. Yeah!

In the pictures above, note the old Commons stage still visible. The long wall now splits the old main hallway. This wall picture is taken from the rear of the school looking forward to the Commons.

Amazing progress on demolition.

In the last week nearly all of the old school, from the back to the gyms/commons came down. It has been amazing to see. Thursday AM our entire school - students and staff - watched as the giant transformer like machine attacked the gym area. It was such fun to be together and experience the realization of something we have anticipated for quite some time. One of the General Contractors said it sounded, at times, like the uproar when the Seahawks score a touchdown!

Demolition Begins!

Deomolition began at IHS on Thursday. The 'O' wing, auto shop, main hallway canopy, and 'J' wing are gone as of today! Students will have the opportunity to observe as the gym and commons are demolished on Thursday of next week (tenative). That trackhoe is impressive!

Contruction Trailers Arrive - Fence Goes Up

Construction trailers began arriving on site today. This is exciting news! The fence separating the construction zone from the rest of campus is in process. This means there is no vehicle access to the back of the school. That access is reserved for construction vehicles only.

Here we go.

Parent Drop-Off Mingles with ISD Buses as of 3/25/09

Parent drop-off will continue as it is now. However, beginning on Wednesday, March 25th, ISD buses will be accessing our campus at the same location as our parent drop-off traffic. Currently our buses enter to the south, along the baseball fields, continue around to the bus loop, and exit to the north by Clark Elementary School. Beginning Wednesday, the buses will come through the center entrance, proceed to the bus loop, and exit as usual. Drop-off traffic can not park in the main entrance lane. Please proceed to the second isle on the left and queue up there. Buses must have clear access to the bus lanes.
Thanks for your help!

Last Day to Park in Senior Lot

The last day students will be able to park in the senior lot, in front of the Gym, will be Tuesday, March 24th. Starting Wednesday, March 25th, the parking lot will be turned over to our General Contractors, Cornerstone. Students should plan to arrive at school a bit earlier to find a spot. There are ample parking spaces for students with a parking tag.

Here We Go!

Cornerstone General Contractors, Inc. is beginning to be seen around campus. That is exciting news! They are the GCs for our Rebuild project. We should be seeing visible changes to our existing campus in the next couple of weeks.

We experienced lunch in the new commons for the first time Monday. With a new location, WASL schedule, and a change in lunch period for many students it was a bit of an adjustment. Additional seating arrived yesterday afternoon which will be helpful. We will have a much clearer picture next week when students are back to their regular lunch period. We will make adjustments then, as needed.

Be aware that the parking lot in front of the gym will not be available in the very near future. This area will be in the construction zone and accessible to work crews only. We will keep you posted on the final day for student parking. The loss of these parking spots was taken into account when parking was assigned. There is still ample parking on campus for students with parking tags.

I Mean It!! We're Moving!

As is quite evident, if you've been keeping up with this blog, our dates are often in flux. Our new target date for lunch in the New Commons is March 16th. The last (no I really mean it) event we will have on the south side of the commons is Tolo on March 14th. The General Contractor will be approved by the Issaquah School District Board of Directors on March 11th. Yeah!

It looks like we will have one more week before we shift locations for lunches, PE, and activities. Our last lunch will be served in the old Commons on February 27th. Brian Olson, ISD Director of Food Services, is making plans for the transition and for providing tasty meal options for students and staff.

IHS vacates South side of Campus

As of February 20th we will be moving all activities to the north side of campus. Lunches will begin to happen in E10 and all athletics/PE currently using gym space will move to alternate locations. Though we are working to make the transitions as smooth as possible, there will undoubtedly be a brief time of adjustment. Thanks for your help and cooperation.

Ramp is Open for Use!

Yeah! The ramp to the upper campus is open! Students can now make their way to and from the upper campus using the stairs or the ramp.

Above is a picture of the ramp, to our upper campus, in progress. It is nearly complete and will allow for smoother traffic flow and better maneuverability for our students and staff.

Construction companies are viewing building and site plans in preparation for the bid process. The selection should made by the end of January.