New $5-million Sonora Elementary Gymnasium Under Construction
Sonora, CA — This coming August is the estimated completion date for a new 6,500 square feet gymnasium under construction at Sonora Elementary School.
It is being built on the lower portion of the campus next to the existing sports fields. Superintendent Cheryl Griffiths reports that construction started near the beginning of the school year. The project is being overseen by contractor Boyer Construction, and the overall cost is around $5-million. Griffiths adds that the school received $6.3 million in reimbursements from the California Office of Public School Construction related to three previously approved modernization projects. State education code requires that the money be spent on school facility improvements, and it cannot be used for general fund purposes.
The new gym will be utilized for Physical Education classes and sporting events. There will be a ticket booth, restrooms, and expanded seating. It will be powered by solar panels that are funded by an energy efficiency grant. The original gym, at the main entrance to the campus, will still be used as a cafeteria and for school events and assemblies.
Griffiths says, “Sonora Elementary has a robust sports program for grades 6,7, and 8 that will only be enhanced by our new facility, providing students with a variety of sports to choose from throughout the school year, which include basketball, volleyball, wrestling, cross country, and track. During the 23-24 school year, 62 boys and 78 girls participated in our SES sports program.”
In addition, they have two long-standing tournaments that have become local traditions.
Griffiths adds that the school board held a series of meetings in 2023 to determine the desired use of the available facility dollars.
