North, Larson Heights elementaries focus of community meeting Monday

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake School District patrons are being invited to a meeting Monday discuss a recommendation to rebuild North Elementary School. The district’s Facilities Advisory Committee also recommended closing Larson Elementary and moving its students to the rebuilt North Elementary. 

“The committee recommendation for our next elementary school is to build on the north end of town,” said Ryan Shannon, MLSD director of public relations. “We’re going to go over the items that led to that recommendation, which includes the information from the demographer (who) provided detailed information on all of our schools and the areas around those schools, and people looking at growth patterns and looking at where the need is based off of a number of different factors, including age of (district) buildings.” 

Shannon said MLSD will be eligible for state funding for North and Larson Heights due to their age. North Elementary dates from 1951, and Larson Heights originally was built in 1956. District patrons approved a local construction bond in 2017, with some of the money allocated to elementary construction. Since the bond approval, there has been discussion about building a new elementary school, with Mae Valley being the most frequently mentioned location. Shannon said circumstances have changed, especially with the availability of state financing.  

“With building on the north side, we would then get access to (state construction) funds, which then would have an effect on remaining dollars available for other capital projects,” he said. 

The new North Elementary would have a capacity of about 650 students, Shannon said. Currently, North and Larson Heights elementaries have an enrollment of about 560 students, he said. 

If the committee’s recommendation is accepted, the new building would have the same floor plan as Groff Elementary. The district purchased that floor plan at the time Groff was built. 

Moses Lake enrollment is holding steady, at least for now.  

“Actually, district-wide we're not seeing a significant reduction,” Shannon said. 

District officials were in negotiation for property in Mae Valley, but the purchase was not completed. In addition, the area’s water and sewer systems would need upgrades.  

“Mae Valley represents future potential, but not present readiness. The infrastructure is not currently supporting. Building there now would limit options elsewhere in the district,” he said.    

Committee members will be at Monday’s meeting to answer questions about their deliberations, timelines, funding and any other questions district patrons may have, he said. 

Community Forum

Monday, Jan. 26 

6 to 7 p.m. 

Larson Heights Elementary, 700 Lindberg Lane