Nearly $55 million worth of construction is underway behind Sauk Rapids-Rice High School, and district leaders say the two major projects voters approved last year remain on schedule and on budget. Crews broke ground in May 2026 on a new early education center and an outdoor activity complex, both aiming for an August 2027 opening.
Sauk Rapids-Rice voters approved the building package on February 11, 2025, backing a $37.2 million early education center and a $17.7 million outdoor activity complex, according to KNSI. Superintendent Bradley Bergstrom said both projects are on schedule and on budget, though he cautioned that rain and other factors could still affect progress as construction continues.
Early Education Center Taking Shape at Mayhew Creek Park
The 66,000-square-foot early education center is being built at Mayhew Creek Park behind the high school, per the same KNSI report. Kraus-Anderson, the contractor on the job, has described the building as a $37.77 million, 75,000-square-foot facility that will replace the aging Hillside building, according to Kraus-Anderson — figures that differ from the bond amount and size reported elsewhere, with no explanation given for the gap.
The city of Sauk Rapids is partnering on the Creekside Early Education Center site, adding roughly 200 parking stalls along with two gyms and a community space, the KNSI report states. Altogether, the Creekside site is expected to provide seven gyms within a parking lot of each other. Bergstrom said that concentration of gym space is expected to bring economic impact to the community.
Turf Fields, New Track Taking Shape at the High School
At the high school, the outdoor activity complex will include two turf fields, lights that are already installed, and a brand-new nine-lane track whose foundation crews laid just last week, per KNSI's reporting. Kraus-Anderson's project description adds that the complex will also include a softball field and dedicated spaces for physical education classes and the marching band. The high school currently has about 900 parking stalls.
Turf fields let teams practice outdoors earlier in spring and avoid waiting for grass to dry, while the new track is expected to draw team and section meets and will also be open for community walking, according to the KNSI report. The Minnesota State High School League has signaled the complex will host events, and both youth volleyball and youth basketball organizations have asked about bringing tournaments to town.
City and District Building Side by Side
The school district and the city of Sauk Rapids have also teamed up on two new grass fields with improved drainage for soccer, lacrosse and football, while the district is building a new softball field of its own. The city has already built a nearby four-field baseball complex with roughly 240 parking stalls, part of a broader city park effort that includes four Little League diamonds and nearby parking lots approved as Phase I of the Mayhew Creek Park project, according to KNSI's earlier coverage. That same report noted the school district's early learning center was planned as Phase III of the broader site work, intended to replace Hillside.
Earthwork and Summer Disruptions Along the Way
The scale of the dirt-moving involved has been substantial. The Mayhew Creek Community Center and Creekside Early Education Center projects had moved about 30,000 cubic yards of dirt — roughly 2,600 dump truck loads — according to WJON. The district said it would continue providing monthly construction updates through August 2027, and plans to use drones capable of flying inside the Creekside Early Education Center to document progress as the buildings go up.
Construction has also reshaped life at the high school this year. The district moved much of its summer academic programming to the middle school because of construction access limitations, and a section of the high school parking lot was closed for all of June and most of July, according to KDHL Radio. The station also reported that city practice fields were under construction over the same stretch, alongside district window maintenance at the high school and solar panel installation on the roof of Mississippi Heights.
Beyond the two bond-funded projects, the district has been tackling a list of smaller building upgrades across its campuses. As of July 21, 2026, the district's educational pods were complete, the district office was finished with interior work on the main office windows wrapping up, and work had just begun on the east gym and cafeteria, according to an ISD 47 construction update. A high school lighting project that started that same month was reported on schedule, and the district has planned window replacements for the summers of both 2026 and 2027.
