Cedar Falls (Iowa) board approves construction contracts for new high school

The Cedar Falls (Iowa) school board has approved contracts to build a $112.7 million, 305,000-square-foot high school.

The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that the board's approval of 22 separate contracts for the project culminated 17 months of planning work that followed voters' approval of a bond issue.

Expenses for construction management, professional fees and services, furniture and equipment, change orders, and other costs bring the total estimated price tag to $112.71 million

Part of the funding for the high school comes from a $69.9 million bond issue approved by district voters in June 2019. The remaining $43 million will paid for with revenues from a 1% sales tax for schools.

The school will be built on 69.6 acres of land near the University of Northern Iowa. Construction is expected to get underway in the spring and be finished ahead of classes starting in fall 2024.

The building will replace the existing Cedar Falls High School, whose original portions were constructed in 1958.

A swimming pool and a “performance center” that would expand indoor space for various athletic activities were beyond the scope of the school’s initial phase and weren’t included in the bidding.

However, the district has identified future physical plant and equipment levy dollars for the pool project, and city funding also is being sought. A community fundraising effort would provide additional money for that and the so-called Tiger Performance Center.

The architect is Invision.