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While most construction projects in Washington have been shut down temporarily during the COVID-19 pandemic, some public ones haven’t missed a beat. In Vancouver, crews are building multiple facilities for Vancouver Public Schools via money from a $458 million capital bond approved by voters in 2017.

One of the most unique projects is a roughly $10 million one to provide a new home for Fir Grove/Vista School, which serves approximately 70 of the district’s most vulnerable students.

The existing Fir Grove/Vista building at 2920 Falk Road is 65 years old. It wasn’t designed to host special education programs and persons with disabilities. But the new facility will have separate elementary, middle and high school classroom wings around an outdoor courtyard. A small gymnasium will round out the building, along with a common area, individual and group rooms and a maker space.

鈥淚t’s a little bit more durable and a little less flexible,鈥� explained Charles Stiller, a project manager with Vancouver Public Schools. 鈥淣ew age school design has a lot more windows, a lot more glazing and a lot of operable walls or ways to flex spaces. This is very much just four-walled classrooms.鈥�

The new school is being built on district-owned property that formerly held the John R. Rogers Elementary School. That building was demolished first, Stiller said.

Tapani Inc. is the general contractor for the project, which was designed by LSW Architects 鈥� a longtime partner of Vancouver Public Schools.

A ceremonial ground-breaking event took place in February. Crews have now wrapped up work on the building’s foundation. Ironworkers with Timberland Inc. recently began erecting the structural steel framework.

The new building will primarily feature brick masonry with metal panels for accent.

鈥淲e’re hoping to open after winter break next year, in January 2021,鈥� Stiller said. 鈥淲e’re supposed to be finished in December and take a couple of weeks to take care of any punch list stuff and get the move-in process completed.鈥�

The one wild card, of course, is the pandemic.

鈥淓ven at this point even a two-week delay would move us back to Spring Break at the earliest and a month would probably push us all the way into the next (school) year,鈥� Stiller said.

In part that’s because of the unique student population.

鈥淚t doesn’t mean construction would have had to take that whole time,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut this kind of student population you don’t move over a weekend. These kids, the teachers 鈥� they need time to figure out how they’re going to use the new space.鈥�

For now, work is proceeding, Tapani superintendent Michael Walters said.

鈥淚n two months the structure will be up, the roof will be on, we’ll be roughed in and the slabs should be poured inside,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hen we’ll be starting to frame the walls.鈥�

So far, the project has proceeded relatively smoothly, Stiller said.

鈥淲e got really lucky with where we’re at in the process, with site work and concrete,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e’ve had some plumbers as well, but small crews. If we were two months away from opening, we’d definitely have some issues.鈥�

Walters agreed.

鈥淥h, definitely,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f we had an enclosed building it would definitely limit the amount of bodies I’d let on the site and what areas you can work in.鈥�