MUSD, construction team put good fortune to good use

In the spring of 2021, every-one knew Maricopa was going to get a second high school.

Maricopa High was crowded. The city was growing at an incredible rate.

But what kind of high school would it be?

Initially, not much of one. The district only had $21.5 million for construction, meaning students would be learning in a new but “bare bones” facility.

Then, Maricopa Unified School District had a bit of good fortune.

On July 31, the state legislature, prodded by then- Rep. Bret Roberts of Maricopa (R-District 11), tucked an additional $18.8 million into the state budget for construction. With the late allocation, the construction budget nearly doubled to $41 million.

The new funding meant MUSD officials and the construction team of general contractor Chasse Building Team, Orcutt-Winslow Architects and Facilities Management Group, the project manager, could work to enhance its plans for the school in the eastern part of the city, recently christened Desert Sunrise High School.

Initial plans called for a classroom building, a gymnasium that included a cafeteria, multi-purpose area and restrooms. There was no administrative space allocated – that was to be set up in converted classrooms, then retrofitted when additional funding became available.

The football field was going to be just that — a grass surface where the football and soccer team could play. No bleachers. No lights. No restrooms. No concession area.

But Roberts’ efforts changed all that.

A wide array of improvements
Construction of the student services building has been fast-tracked and allowed for moving administrative functions out of the classroom building and into the student services building.

Maricopa Vice Mayor Vincent Manfredi and Patti Coutre sign the final beam for Desert Sunrise High School before it’s put into place. The benefits will include:

• More than double administrative office space to about 6,300 square feet.
• Counseling, health care and other services will be hosted in the new administrative building.
• Building it upfront will save $400,000, which would have been the cost of retrofitting the classroom building.

Athletic facilities
With the additional funding, Desert Sunrise High School will have a fully built-out athletic facility with:

• Natural grass football/soccer field
• Scoreboard
• Lights
• Bleachers
• Concession area
• Restrooms
• Two competition-ready softball fields
• Two competition-ready baseball fields
• Rubberized track
• Finishing touches including grass, curbs, sidewalks and lighting
• Sports equipment including practice and game uniforms for football, soccer and track
• Maintenance equipment like mowers

This story was first published in the February edition of InMaricopa magazine.