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Cougar Mountain Middle School Updates

CMMS construction from outside of building

At Cougar Mountain Middle School, construction of the parking garage is complete, and the new middle school building is in its final stages. Site activities at the main entrance, parent loop and track and field areas continue to be delayed from the unexpected settlement of soils on a portion of the site, which required reengineering and reinforcing of a portion of the retaining walls along the west side of the site. 

“Before purchasing the site -- due diligence -- including geotechnical work, was done,” Director of Capital Projects Tom Mullins said. “Unfortunately, some significant underground runoff from the mountain was not discovered during that process. After the reengineering efforts and additional review by our city partners, we feel entirely confident that the site is safe and stable.” 

The district’s design and construction team worked closely with the City of Issaquah to develop engineering solutions to address these unforeseen conditions. Work on those solutions began in early October, and is projected to be complete in January. Once the retaining walls are finished, the construction team will focus its efforts on remaining utilities, paving, sidewalks and landscaping needed for occupancy. We anticipate that work will be done by mid-February, and that the athletic fields will be complete by midsummer. Total costs at Cougar Mountain are currently running as much as $35 million above original estimates.  

In our regular updates about the status of capital projects at School Board meetings, the district has shared concerned about the escalating costs of project. For more information and updates, please visit the Capital Projects website.