The GFW community has a long history of collaboration when it comes to our students and we have built on that tradition as we sought community involvement in the priorities for a new facility to develop a truly community-centered school. In April 2023, voters approved a bond referendum question supporting a single-site PreK-12 facility to serve our students beginning in the fall of 2025 with an adjusted timeline for a phased transition to the new facility due to construction delays.

This webpage will serve as a source of updates on the process from planning and design to construction.

At the September 23, 2024 Board Meeting, Representatives from Kraus Anderson and Wold Architects shared updates on the facilities project of the new PreK-12 school currently under construction.

There have been some delays with both permitting and with weather challenges. Approval of the plumbing permit was delayed due to an extended review time at the state level which has impacted many construction projects across the state. An additional challenge is the fact that since May 2024, there have been a total of 39 rain days that have caused a need to refocus the timeline of the project.

We have worked with our construction team to prioritize the areas and items within the school to inform an updated schedule. There are still areas of the project that are projected to be online and ready on time, with other areas being phased in after that. Some parts of the facility are projected to be completed by winter break of 2025, while others like the performing arts center would be completed in the spring of 2026.

The elementary school wing was identified as the first to be online because of the fact that it is self contained. At this time it is projected that the kitchen would not be ready at the opening of school, so meal prep would happen at existing facilities and have meals delivered for part of the 2025-26 school year. These are of course tentative timelines but it's important to note that we are being as conservative as possible with our assumptions.

Winter break was identified as a feasible time frame for additional sections of the school being ready to allow for additional time to move into the building. District athletic facilities will also be on an adjusted schedule with the football stadium projected to be ready for the football season with the use of existing facilities for locker rooms along with providing portable bathrooms and concessions. The gymnasium will be ready in a later phase so volleyball and early season basketball would be held at the current high school in Winthrop. The elementary school playground is also anticipated to be completed by the fall of 2025.

These types of challenges do come up in any construction project and we are all hoping for cooperative weather in the coming months. The team will be preparing frequently asked questions and updates to answer additional questions that may come up in the community and the district will continue to communicate updates.

This new school is going to be a wonderful asset to our community and we look forward to having this future-focused learning environment for decades to come!

Browse renderings of different spaces below and click on the image to see a larger view.

If you have other questions about the project, email planning@gfwschools.org

Our community engagement partners have collected information from over 1,000 students and community members to date. Wold Architects and Kraus-Anderson have been working closely with a community led group known as the Site Team throughout this process including touring other facilities and setting priorities for a future school based on what is available.

User Group meetings were held with staff to discuss the specific needs of grade level and content area classrooms, specialist areas, flexible learning spaces, career and technical education spaces as well as general directions for how they want the new facility to look and feel.

The project is currently on budget and on schedule. The district was very fortunate to have a great day at the bond market and through additional funds from investment earnings are now exploring options to include a school farm and a track and football field.

View concept renderings of the new facility below:

The district held a very participatory process where community members, staff, and students participated throughout this process. The community-centered Site Team has sought input and feedback to guide the work of the Finance/Facilities Long Range Planning Committee and the Board.

This is a process and there will be additional changes to draft documents and other plans as the situation evolves. The direction and general needs of the facility will remain consistent, and updates will be provided as the process progresses.

At the November 2023 board meeting, Lynae Schoen of Wold Architects and Engineers presented to the board about the status of the facility projects. The team has been meeting with user groups including staff, teachers, and community members to discuss facility priorities and design.

Through the design process, the team researched the three towns and pulled inspiration from the history of Gibbon, Fairfax, and Winthrop as railway towns with a deep connection to agriculture. The building concept involves connecting corridors inspired by rail lines as well as common areas known as depots and other rooms seen as train stops. Wold shared about trying to involve natural light throughout the school as well as improving security and the ability to use as much as space as possible throughout the facility as teaching and learning spaces.

The district continues to do its due diligence when it comes to this process and safety and security and has been in touch with other districts, industry experts, and the secret service about security systems and feedback on different design concepts including the use of glass throughout the school.

The Site Team and community members developed guiding principles and design criteria after touring school facilities and sharing what they liked and didn’t like and started to develop a common language and built consensus around the project.