MLSD chooses Spokane firm for pre-bond services

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake School District has enlisted Spokane-based NAC Architecture for pre-bond planning and support services to help the district explore in depth its three bond package proposals.

The Moses Lake School Board has developed three bond package options for construction of school facilities. With the help of NAC, the district will vet the three options and gather community input before selecting one to bring to district voters in February 2017.

The three options proposed by the School Board include: (1) construction of a second high school of like size to Moses Lake High School, and a new elementary school; (2) building an eighth- and ninth-grade campus, repurposing Endeavor Middle School as an elementary school (or build a new elementary) and reconfiguring grade levels at other district schools; and (3) building an addition to MLHS that can hold another 800 students, adding theater and cafeteria space, and adding a field house, as well as building an elementary school.

The MLSD put out a request for qualifications (RFQ) for architectural engineering services at the end of March. After examining seven presentations from architectural firms, the district selected NAC Architecture for pre-bond services.

Eric Johnson, the MLSD’s executive director of business and operations, said the details of the contract with NAC are not finalized. The district will meet with NAC representative next week to work out the details of the relationship, including the financial impact to the district for enlisting NAC’s services.

Johnson said NAC will be on hand every step of the way from now until the bond goes out to vote next February. At that time, if a bond package is approved by district voters, the MLSD has the right to retain NAC Architecture for its new construction projects or to seek another firm, Johnson said.

The district examined a number of criteria in its process of selecting an architecture firm for pre-bond planning services, including experience with high school master planning and construction, experience with elementary construction, size and experience of the firm, planning experience for multiple school districts, demonstrated support leading to bond passage with other districts and demonstrated knowledge of Moses Lake schools.

As the selected firm, NAC Architecture will assist the MLSD by vetting each of its three facility options. The firm will examine all factors that pertain to each proposal to provide the district and the Moses Lake community with the complete picture of each – “the whole ball of wax,” Johnson said. Essentially, NAC’s exploration will provide crucial information, like estimated costs of each facility proposal, so the district is well informed before reaching a decision about which proposal to pursue on next February’s bond package.

After the analysis of each proposal is completed – the district anticipates this will be done by mid-May – the MLSD will host a series of symposiums to gather input and insight from the community regarding the strengths and weaknesses of each option. Community members, business leaders, parents and district staff will have opportunities to provided feedback at the symposiums, which are expected to be scheduled between mid-May and early June.

After that, the School Board will consider all the feedback and information and decide which option will be pursued and presented to the community for the February 2017 bond election. According to information provided by the district, the School Board is expected to make the decision by the end of August.

NAC’s services will continue to be provided to the district after the decision is made, all the way up to the bond election next year, Johnson said. He said the firm will help the district communicate information to the public and answer community questions at events like they symposiums.

“We’re not construction experts,” Johnson said. “NAC Architecture can help us and community members understand all the elements of the proposals. People see high price tags and sometimes wonder why, and they (NAC) can help explain those things.”

It’s all about bringing on experts in construction and pre-bond planning, Johnson said. NAC Architecture’s expertise will allow the district and its voters to be more informed in the process of pursuing new facilities, he said.

NAC Architecture is no stranger to the Moses Lake School District or the Columbia Basin. The Spokane-headquartered firm was recently selected for the projects being funded by the Quincy School District’s $108 million bond, including the design and construction of Quincy’s new high school. NAC also previously constructed Park Orchard Elementary and Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center in the MLSD.

Ryan Minnerly can be reached via email at countygvt@columbiabasinherald.com.