Work is scheduled to begin on the building of a new modern elementary school in Las Cruces that will be built to house just over 750 students.
The new Columbia Elementary School will go up in the 2400 block of Elks Drive, at the site of a former school by the same name.
Earlier this year, members of the Las Cruces Public Schools board voted in favor of demolishing the current structure.
The board vote came nearly four years after mold infestation was discovered in up to half a dozen classrooms of the school. In response, nearly 475 students were transferred to another school facility in the district, while officials tried to decide what to do with the facility.
After months of studies and public input, the board decided that it would be more cost effective to demolish the infected structure rather than remediate it, while also approving a proposal to build a $30 million new school.
It is expected that the demolition process will be completed by the end of this year, with construction of the new facility launching by the summer of 2023.
The soon-to-be demolished, one-story school building was built in 2003.
By Garry Boulard
