Gyms at 4 Goodyear schools likely to be done by January

The Avondale Elementary School District is building four gymnasiums at schools in Goodyear that previously held physical-education classes in the cafeteria.

The district spent about $6 million in bond money to finance gyms at Wildflower, Desert Star, Centerra Mirage and Desert Thunder elementary schools. Construction started in July and all the indoor athletic spaces are projected to be finished by January, district leaders said.

"Anywhere we can keep kids engaged, especially with the amount of obesity there is, this is awesome," said Superintendent Cathy Stafford. "Because our voters said 'yes' four years ago, we are able to give these great spaces to our kids."

Voters in the district approved a $31.1 million bond in 2005. Since then, the district built a school - Copper Trails Elementary - remolded bathrooms in Michael Anderson and started building gyms at four schools, including a new area for student drop-off and pickup at Desert Star.

The district hopes to collaborate with Goodyear to provide athletic facilities to the community.

"One of the major benefits is to make sure our children have a cool indoor space to play in," said Marcie Celaya, executive director of business services for the district. "These gyms are also going to be a great addition to the community as well."

Wildflower Elementary is land-locked, and the outdoor athletic space cannot be used after a rainstorm because it is the water-runoff area for a housing development, said Principal Ruben Lara.

"Because of that, our PE space is very limited," he said. "This new gym will be an incredible enhancement to what we can offer our students."

George Cuevas with Canyon State Masonry, Inc. cleans the blocks at the Wildflower Elementary School new gymnasium in Goodyear.