New wing opens at Othello High School

OTHELLO - Six new classrooms at Othello High School and the district's alternative high school (ALPS) are up and running, and work will begin Monday on the building that will become the district office.

The six high school classrooms, four science and two general purpose, have been occupied for about two weeks, said Principal Carlos Gonzalez. Project manager Mike Currie estimated the expansion added about 10,000 square feet.

"Now we have enough space," Gonzalez said. "Now we're moving (classrooms) out of portables."

The new science classrooms are set up with everything needed for science experiments, Gonzalez said, from lab tables to sinks to fuel hookups. All new classrooms have sound systems and all audio-visual equipment is designed for wireless operation.

The addition also includes two workrooms for the science classes and a storeroom for the building.

The brick-and steel facade was designed to fit in with the rest of the buildings on the high school campus, Gonzalez said. The addition was included in a $28.6 million construction bond approved by voters in 2007, according to a story in the Columbia Basin Herald. The district also received about $35 million in state construction money.

The alternative school opened for classes about a week ago, Currie said. The project cost $1.1 million. The school's new home formerly was the Nazarene Church of Othello, and the remodeling included adding three general purpose classrooms, a computer lab and a science classroom, Currie said. Some existing spaces were remodeled into offices and other service rooms, he said.

The alternative school's old home started life as retail space, became the state Department of Health Service's office, and eventually the alternative school. It will be remodeled into the school district offices.

Currie said work on that will begin Monday. "Sort of like a major remodel in terms of building some walls, taking down some walls," he said. That project is projected to cost about $285,000, he said.