Issaquah School Board members unanimously voted March 11 to accept a bid for Issaquah High School reconstruction by Cornerstone General Contractors, a Bothell-based company.

Cornerstone submitted a $61.5 million base bid for the project — the lowest of the nine general contractors vying for the project.

“There was a huge response to this bid process,” said Steve Crawford, director of capital projects for the district. “They were very close bids. That’s a good indication the general contractors were seeing the same clear set of documents without a lot of questions.”

The highest bid came in at $67.6 million, according to district documents.

This is the first project the Issaquah School District and Cornerstone have worked on together, but Crawford reported the company has extensive school-district experience. The company is currently working in the Edmonds and Lake Washington School Districts, and completed construction on Newport High School in Bellevue.

“Those projects are all local and significant in their size and scope,” he said. “It’s looking good, and (Cornerstone) is looking forward to getting started in earnest.”

Crawford said they’re hoping to begin work by the end of March, when the Notice to Proceed and demolition permits should be available.

District officials filed a Notice of Intent on March 12, giving Cornerstone 10 days to file a contract and complete bond and insurance paperwork with the district.

Once the Notice to Proceed is issued, the contractor can begin developing plans and site work; however, the city has to approve the Public Works permits package before construction can begin. That package is currently undergoing additional reviews, Crawford said.

The tentative goal is to have the structural steel on-site by July, he said.

“We’re moving forward, and getting things started very quickly,” he said.

Crawford also gave board members an update on Skyline High School and Elementary 15 construction.

Dry February weather helped move the project along fairly quickly, and contractors made a lot of progress putting up steel frames and pouring concrete slabs.

“We’re making really good progress,” he said. “We’re at a stage now where you can see the improvements and changes relatively quickly. It’s starting to look more and more like a building.”

Elementary 15 is currently continuing in the permit process with the city of Sammamish, and Crawford said they hoped to be out to bid for the project by the end of the month.