Three years of effort came to fruition Monday when the Sierra Sands Unified School broke ground on the new Richmond Elementary School. The school is replacing the campus that was damaged because of the 2019 earthquakes.
Since that time, Richmond students were housed at the old Vieweg Elementary School campus.
Superintendent Dr. Dave Ostash said this is the third groundbreaking opportunity with the Department of Defense Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation grant program.
Representatives from the offices of Rep. Kevin McCarthy, state Sen. Shannon Grove and Assembly member Vince Fong as well as representatives from the California Office of Public School Construction attended the groundbreaking. Richmond students performed the National Anthem.
“Groundbreaking ceremonies have been used for centuries to celebrate the start of a new venture and give thanks to those who made it possible,” said Ostash. “They have been adapted to fit modern times, but still hold great significance to the construction industry and the community involved. This morning, we would not be celebrating this achievement without the dedicated support of so many individuals, many who are here today, and who have spent countless hours over the last several years.”
He then talked about the process to get to this point.
“OLDCC maintains a list of schools around the nation that are on federal land,” he said. “Each of these schools were evaluated for capacity and condition,” Ostash said. “Murray [Middle School] and Burroughs [High School] were in the top 10.”
Richmond was ranked No. 37, but the earthquakes served as an accelerant in the process, he said.
"We are so excited to see the physical signs of the Richmond school replacement project appear,” said SSUSD Board of Education President Bill Farris. “We are so grateful to OLDCC and the Navy, and all our partners who have worked so hard to prepare us for this day. It is a demonstration of true community. We feel confident that our amazing community will continue to come together to meet the educational needs of our children."