Richland’s Jefferson school construction to start this summer

A new Jefferson Elementary School is on its way.

The Richland school board approved a $16.6 million bid from Richland-based Fowler Construction for the project. That was the lowest of five bids.

The 65,000-square-foot building will house about 590 students when it’s finished in the fall of 2018.

“Fowler has an excellent track record with the Richland School District,” Superintendent Rick Schulte said. “Our staff, students and taxpayers have been impressed with the company’s work over the past four years.”

Jefferson is the final building included in the district’s $98 million 2013 bond. As part of the bond, the district replaced Lewis and Clark, Marcus Whitman and Sacajawea elementary schools, built Orchard Elementary and is building Leona Libby Middle School.

This story was originally published June 20, 2017 at 5:43 PM with the headline "Richland’s Jefferson school construction to start this summer."