April 29, 2025

Lake Stevens picks Spee West for $124M, two-school project

Early concept image from RFP [enlarge]

Work will require complex coordination given a site with significant slope, limited access, five wetlands — and roughly 1,266 students on campus during construction.

The Lake Stevens School District tapped Spee West Construction of Edmonds to act as general contractor/construction manager for a two-school expansion and rebuild on a 24-acre site just east of state Route 9.

The $123.9 million project requires complex scheduling, phasing and coordination given a site with significant slope, limited access, five wetlands — and roughly 1,266 students planning to stay on campus during construction.

Work includes an addition, renovation and partial replacement of Lake Stevens Middle School, according to the request for proposals, unifying the 1961-era school's four buildings into one, and building a new science, technology and Career and Technical Education wing. Skyline Elementary School, built in 1992, will be either remodeled or rebuilt, with capacity increased to accommodate 650 students, according to the RFP.

The award is pending school board approval, scheduled for Wednesday. A notice of the district's intent to award the project to Spee West ran in last week's DJC.

Site plan from district GC/CM application [enlarge]

Lake Stevens Middle School and Skyline Elementary share a 24-acre site east of state Route 9.

NAC Architecture is architect, with Parametrix providing project management, GC/CM advisory and GC/CM procurement services. Construction at Skyline is scheduled to start in the summer of 2026, and at Lake Stevens Middle in the spring of 2027, according to the district's project page. A preliminary design and construction schedule in the RFP estimates substantial completion of Skyline at the end of June of 2028, and of Lake Stevens Middle in May of 2029.

This two-school project gets its funding from the district's $314 million school bond, which passed in February. Several additional school projects are in the works in Lake Stevens, with funding from the February bond along with state matches and school impact fees.

MORE IN THE WORKS

Lake Stevens is also seeking GC/CM for a separate two-school project, including a new elementary school, which will be the district's eighth, and a modernization and expansion or rebuild of Glenwood Elementary school.

Proposals for that project were due last week, and the district could notify the shortlist as soon as today, according to the RFP. NAC Architecture and Parametrix are also on that project team. The construction budget for that two-school project is $54.7 million for the new elementary school and $50.5 million to modernize Glenwood.

Proposals were also due last week for a GC/CM to renovate offices at six schools to create secure reception areas, improve the special education spaces at five schools, and build a new gymnasium at Hillcrest Elementary School at 9315 4th St. S.E., about a half-mile north of the Skyline/Lake Stevens Middle site.

NAC Architecture and Parametrix are also on the team for that $10.7 million project. The district wants to start some of that work this summer.

Proposals are due Wednesday for a GC/CM to build a new 25,000-square-foot secondary learning center at the Mt. Pilchuck Elementary School campus, a new 5,000-square-foot central kitchen, and a new gym at Mt. Pilchuck at 12806 20th St. N.E. Dykeman Architecture and Design and Parametrix are on that project team.

That $28.4 million project is slated to be awarded in early June, with construction on the gym starting in the summer of 2026 and the other projects that fall.