Cactus Shadows undergoes facelift

STAFF REPORT ~7/6/2011

Construction workers have begun the process of grading the land in preparation for the new parking lot at Cactus Shadows High School.
The plan calls for workers to replace the asphalt, line the parking lot, repair the drainage and build a new bus lane behind the school before school starts on Aug. 11.
The new lot will have 450 parking spaces, 60 more than the old one.
The parking lot overhaul is part of a bigger project at the high school, which will also include the construction of a classroom building in front of the gym. The 38,000-square foot building will sit on the east side of the campus.
In other news involving the Cave Creek Unified School District the district is looking to find a tenant for Desert Arroyo Middle School. The district, which closed the middle school last year, is looking to lease the space to a pair of private schools.
The district already has a relationship with Bella Vista Private School, which was based in the district’s Learning Center during the 2010-2011 school year, at Dove Valley Road and 60th St in north Scottsdale.
Bella Vista would take over one classroom building and the student services building, which houses the lobby, nurse's and counseling offices, storage rooms, the bookstore and several classrooms and restrooms.
Bella Vista is a college-preparatory school with approximately 70 students. The school, a K-12 will have its first class of seniors during the 2011-2012 school year.
The second school interested in taking advantage of the opening at DAMS is Quality Interaction Montessori, which is based across 56th Street from Desert Arroyo.
The school is looking to lease approximately 5,800 square feet, to serve its 105 students. The rental rate would be approximately $2,900 per month for the year.
In total, the two schools would lease about 15,000 square feet of Desert Arroyo, which totals about 110,000 square feet. They would also have use of the school's fields.