Sauk Rapids-Rice Entering Design Phase for ECFE, Athletic Complex

SAUK RAPIDS (WJON News) -- Now that voters in the Sauk Rapids-Rice school district have approved the referendum questions on the ballot last week, the next phase for both of those projects can begin.

Superintendent Brad Bergstrom says they are entering the design phase for the new 60,000-square-foot Early Childhood Building that will be built just north of the high school.

And the design phase is really to look at things like how big are the rooms going to be, what's the furniture going to be like, are we going to have carpeting or something else, where are the classrooms going to be located, where are the doors going to be.

Bergstrom says the design phase will take eight to nine months. He hopes construction will start in the spring of 2026 and the building will open in the fall of 2027.

As for Hillside, the current Early Childhood Building, Bergstrom says they'll do whatever is in the best interest for the community and the district. There is money in the referendum for the safe removal of the building, if necessary. But, he says he has had some interest from developers who may want to buy it.

Bergstrom says they'll also start designing what the new outdoor athletic complex next to the high school is going to look like.

We'll start ensuring what are the pathways going to look like, make sure we have the locations down for the fields, the buildings we'll have for storage, the lockerroom, and concessions. How are the trails going to be developed.

Bergstrom says they want to break ground by the spring of 2026.

The new practice fields the school district is creating in partnership with the city will be done by then, so they can utilize them for practice space.

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As for the current athletic facility at the middle school, Bergstrom says they'll use money from the operating capital to make upgrades to that facility which will be primarily used for middle school sports.

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