High school students in the South Lane School District started the 2003-04 school year in the brand new 180,000 square foot Cottage Grove High School. The new $26 million school is 39 percent larger than the 53-year old building it replaced. The new school, built for 1,000 students, features five computer labs and a 1,300 square foot media center.

The need to compress the project schedule was accomplished by separating the work into three construction packages. Site preparation and a municipal storm drain system were included in the first bid package. The instructional spaces, library and administration offices along with public street and utility infrastructure construction constituted the work of the second package. The final package included the gymnasiums, locker rooms and other related athletic facilities. This approach allowed construction and design to occur simultaneously, thereby reducing the total project schedule without incurring additional construction costs.