The ASK Academy planning building with gym, cafeteria, multi-purpose space

RIO RANCHO — The ASK Academy anticipates breaking ground later this year on a new building that will house a cafeteria, multipurpose space for the community, and a never-before-seen gym for the school.

Officials with The ASK Academy, located off of Sundt Road Northeast in Rio Rancho, said March 26 that construction could start June 1. The 1,600-square-foot building would be the final bit of expansion, at least for now, outlined in the school’s strategic plan.

“What we’re looking to do is offer our middle and high school scholars a more modern facility,” said Ed Garcia, the school’s chief executive officer. “It will be a great place for our scholars to meet, eat and socialize.”

Garcia said the building, to be built on the campus’ west side, will also “play a huge role” in supporting the community, including providing an area for outside sports teams and school clubs.

The $5.5 million project, hampered by the pandemic, is able to move forward thanks to fresh support from the Legislature, according to Garcia, but also as school officials look for ways to finance as little as possible due to high interest rates.

The building will bring The ASK Academy’s campus footprint to a total of three buildings once it is complete in a year. Of the current buildings, one building houses sixth graders and the other houses middle and high school.

The project was first envisioned in 2020, when ASK Academy drafted its strategic plan. But the pandemic held up the project until more recently, when the Legislature appropriated enough funds that made school officials comfortable to break ground, Garcia said.

“I choose to look at setbacks as opportunities,” he said, referring to the challenges the pandemic posed to the project. “It gave us a chance to reevaluate exactly what we wanted to build.”

The project would enhance a commons area, where students eat lunch, on the second floor of the school’s largest building, open since 2015.

It would also add a gym, a welcome amenity to most students, Garcia said, considering the basketball team had to play home games away from campus. Traditional students use the basketball court for physical activity when the weather is nice and document any of their exercise outside of school in journals.

Garcia believes the project, once complete, will boost school spirit, allowing them to “host events here and celebrate the achievements of our scholars with the public.”

The building could be a feasible way for groups to use a facility without having to pay large sums to rent another venue, he said.

Rodahl & Hummell Architecture of Farmington will design the project, and William Cervantes Enterprises of Albuquerque will build it.