This Lacey middle school has been upgraded, modernized. Here’s what students will see
Since 2021, Komachin Middle School in Lacey has been the focus of a $50 million project that will be unveiled to students when the new school year opens this week.
The work isn’t quite done due to post COVID-19 supply chain delays, said Dean Martinolich, director of construction and design for North Thurston Public Schools, but the work is 90-95 percent complete at the school at Mullen Road and College Street.
When the last nail has been hammered, Komachin, which was first built in 1992, will have grown to 107,000 square feet from its original foot print of 89,300 square feet, according to the district.
Here’s what students, parents, teachers and administrators can expect to see during the first week of school.
▪ When students enter the school, they will see an expanded commons area, which also doubles as the lunchroom, with an upgraded kitchen.
▪ The library is in a new location and has been expanded.
▪ A new wing of the building provides space for five more classrooms, replacing portable classrooms.
▪ The main building and gym used to be separated by a breezeway, but it is now enclosed, providing more classroom space for career and technical education and music programs.
▪ The bleachers didn’t previously fit well inside the gym, so a wall was punched out to make more space for seating, and retractable basketball hoops were added.
Perhaps the biggest changes are outside.
Komachin used to have a ball field that didn’t drain very well, sometimes leading to very muddy soccer matches. To correct the problem, a foot of topsoil was removed and the drainage system was replaced, Martinolich said.
Outside the commons area, which used to be just dirt, is now what looks like a large patio. A play shed is coming to the same location.
Sue Koontz, who is in her 23rd year of teaching at Komachin, welcomes the addition of a covered play area, she said.
“We have so many rainy days, so for kids to be able to run around and not come in muddy and wet is going to be really nice,” she said.
Koontz, who teaches science to seventh- and eighth-graders, used to work out of temporary space, but now she’s in an upgraded classroom with touchscreen technology.
“It’s really lovely to have all new things and all new technology,” said Koontz, adding that she and her students will be able to spread out.
“I think the library probably is the coolest thing that’s new,” she added. “It’s out of the middle of the building and in the front and has lots of natural light. That’s probably my new favorite spot of the building.”
Still to come before the work is done: two classroom wings, a rebuilt greenhouse, the new play shed and the removal of the portables, Martinolich said.
Komachin Middle School facts
▪ Original school construction date: 1992.
▪ Total project budget: $50 million.
▪ Construction cost: $30-plus million.
▪ Original square footage: 89,300.
▪ New square footage: 107,000.
▪ School enrollment as of June 2023: 645.
▪ Upgrades designed for enrollment of 750.
Source: North Thurston Public Schools.
