SUMAS, Wash. — Officials with Lynden-based Faber Construction announced today, the Sumas Elementary School project has been completed and it is ready to greet students on the first day of the 2022-2023 school year.
The project began September 30, 2020, and required 75,000 man-hours of work and approximately 1,800 cubic yards of concrete to complete.
Faber Construction President Ben Faber was quoted in a press release, “This project is special to us because the Faber family and many of Faber Construction’s employees, including the project superintendent, grew up in Sumas and many graduated from the Nooksack Valley School District.”
The 24-classroom campus was built on the same property as the former school, which was severely damaged by flooding last November. The flood forced Sumas students to attend other schools in the district after they already had to stay home for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Click for more information“Before that flooding occurred, the new school was designed with the finished floor elevation three feet above the 100-year flood elevation,” said Connor Smith, Faber Construction superintendent. “The crawl space has been designed to allow water to flow through, mitigating ‘flood shadowing’ that could affect adjacent properties. Also, we installed flood gates to protect doors and used waterproof paint to keep water from seeping through walls.”
“The building includes high-efficiency mechanical equipment and plumbing fixtures,” according to Smith. “High-efficiency insulation, ceiling fans for classrooms and sunshades on southern-facing windows provide energy-efficient alternatives to building environmental control.”
The campus includes an outdoor playground and a covered area for year-round playing.
Sumas Elementary security incorporates a high-end camera system and a security system with 1-button lockdown that will secure buildings and dispatch first responders.