Bond construction milestone: First wall goes up on new Sterling HS

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A large crane arrived at the Sterling High School construction site this week, and on Wednesday it lifted and placed the first three-story, concrete tilt wall panel.

Members of the Project Advisory Team and a handful of Sterling students were on site to celebrate the milestone and add their signatures to the wall before it was lifted.

“This is emotional,” said Sterling Principal Dale Mitchell. “It’s exciting for the project to be this far along and to know that in 16 months we’ll be in the new building.”

The school, one of 40 being rebuilt or renovated under the district’s $1.89 billion bond program, is designed to emphasize Sterling’s aviation program and will prominently feature an airplane hangar as its centerpiece.

Designed to support the latest technology, the campus also will include state-of-the-art science labs, numerous learning commons areas, and flexible classroom spaces.

Sterling HS project information

Sterling freshman Rodney Gant signed his name on the wall and said he is looking forward to spending his senior year in the new facility.

“It’s great to be a part of this,” Gant said. “It seemed to be moving slow at first, but now you can see that a lot is going on. I’m glad I’ll still be here when it’s finished.”

Workers expect to install about 10 wall panels per day for the next several weeks, and the project is on track to be completed by the end of 2016. Demolition of the existing building, along with construction of ball fields and parking lots will be completed in the third quarter of 2017.

“It’s a good feeling to see construction rising out of the ground,” said Marvin Stone, project manager for the Sterling project. “This is a significant milestone.”