Idaho Falls school district selects high school general contractor

The Idaho Falls School District has selected Bateman-Hall as general contractor for its high school redesign project.

Bateman-Hall recently served as construction manager for $53 million in District 91 bond projects, including the construction of four new elementary schools, the renovation of Compass Academy, Emerson Alternative High School, and updates to Skyline and Idaho Falls High Schools.

“We are pleased to again be partnering with Bateman-Hall,” said Superintendent George Boland. He said the contractor helped ensure the projects came in on time and on budget.

The district is now reviewing qualifications for a design of the project. A finalist should be selected in March.

The school board hopes to have a complete team in place by spring break. The team will then start to gather input about the high school redesign project from the public. It will focus on renovating high schools to create spaces that promote instruction, technology and safety.

Cost estimates will be presented to the board this summer. The board will then decide whether to ask patrons to approve a bond to pay for improvements this November.

Bateman-Hall also built the new Rigby High School and the Samuel H. Bennion Student Union Building in Idaho Falls, as well as many other schools in eastern Idaho and the Magic Valley.

The district wants to bring the schools into the 21st century because the older buildings don’t exactly support modern education.

“Methodologies have changed significantly, and these buildings were designed for a type of instruction that has become obsolete,” Boland said.