Demolition of the Black River High School buildings, known for their unusual circular design, finished this month as the district pushed forward with the new Secondary Learning Center.

Community and staff rallied to save the school in the spring, after the district announced last minute that it wouldn’t be building the new center alongside the high school but on top of it.

Now a core of students and teachers are sharing a space at the Sartori Education Center, as plans for the new building progress on track.

The first phase of the project is expected to be completed by November. The drawings for the building were submitted to King County this week, said project manager Jack Connell.

The site will be prepared for a wet winter, and the district hopes to begin construction in March 2011.

King County is telling the district it can process the permit in time, he said. “But it’s always a concern when there’s layoffs.”

The building is a complex project, not just because of its size and the “green” friendly design, but because of how wet the property is, Connell said.

“It can be real sloshy,” he said. “It’s a very beautiful but very difficult site.”

Surrounded by single-family homes, an abandoned church and greenhouses overgrowing with blackberry bushes, the property is surrounded by a lush green.

John Korsmo Construction brought in rocks and used bricks from the demolished building to make the ground stiff enough to move the heavy equipment.

In addition to grading the land, the company is installing drainage and piping for a heating system that uses the ground’s heat to warm the building.

The district paid $1.7 million to complete the first phase of the project.

The building is expected to open in fall 2012 for special career and technical education courses and alternative programs.