Jon Johnson Photo/Gila Herald: The town of Pima has been preliminarily awarded $1 million toward the construction of a new access road and traffic light at 200 South and Highway 70 to its new high school.
Town and school continue to seek additional funding
By Jon Johnson
PIMA – If you build it, they will come. But how will they get there?
Construction continues on the Pima School District’s $34 million new high school located just north of Highway 70 on the west side of town. Currently, the only current access is from E. Center Street, which connects to Highway 70 just west of the Dollar General store and to the east at 600 East.
The town and school district have planned for a new section of 200 South created on the northeast side of U.S. Highway 70 for access. The town’s first traffic light will be installed at the newly formed intersection and entrance to the school.
To help facilitate the new road and traffic light, U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani has pushed through $1 million in funds through the House’s Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development package for the project. The package also approves $1.9 million for the town of Duncan to repave more than 4,000 feet on Main Street and High Street in Duncan – which have not been properly repaired in 45 years, according to Ciscomani’s office.
The town and Ciscomani had originally sought $2.5 million for the new connecting road and stoplight, but the reward was reduced to $1 million.
That will allow the start of construction, but the town and school are looking at more federal dollars to make up the rest and have requested up to $2 million in federal assistance from Sen. Mark Kelly and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s offices, as well as putting in for an Arizona Department of Public Safety passes to schools grant, which should cover the rest of the amount to finish the new connecting road and traffic light.
The new high school site is nearly double the size of the current high school facility and will be a 67,000-square-foot campus. The ballfields, including baseball, softball, football, and two practice fields, will be located on the northern end of the property off East Center Street, while the gymnasium will be on the southern end near the highway. The proposed football stadium features 2,890 “Home” seats and 1,496 “Visitor” seats, with the home stands facing east and the visitor seats facing west.
The new high school is currently under construction with a tentative completion date in June, and an opening to all students for the Fall 2025 school year. However, due to the funding cycles, it is not believed the new connecting street and stoplight will be completed in time for the school’s opening.
