GRAND FORKS – Construction on the new Valley Middle School remains on schedule and under-budget, according to Grand Forks Public Schools’ top buildings official. Building and Grounds Manager Jonathan Ellwein met with University Park neighborhood residents on Tuesday for an update on construction of the new north end school. The meeting took place in the library of the current Valley Middle.
The new school is being built on top of the current schools’ athletic fields to the west, immediately east of University Park. Right now, construction workers are pouring concrete and finishing up excavating what will become the new building’s foundations, said Brady McDonald of Construction Engineers. McDonald said the bulk of construction traffic has already gone through the neighborhood, but there will be another influx of truck traffic in a few weeks to bring fill dirt to the building site.
ADVERTISEMENT The building’s structure is expected to start going up in August, with plans to begin work on the building exterior in October. “Once the steel is delivered, they’re going to be able to start going vertical with everything right away,” McDonald said. Exterior work is expected to continue into next June, and run staggered with interior work set to begin in February.
The building is expected to be complete by the end of 2025 and could open as soon as January 2026. Speaking with Tina Saunders of Safe Kids Grand Forks, Ellwein said the district expected to face safety chall.