Work on a new 1,500-seat Catholic church and a two-story school will get under way this spring on McMillan Mesa, almost 2 1/2 years after the Flagstaff City Council signed off on it.
Terrence Milligan, a project manager with the San Francisco de Asis Parish, confirmed the long-delayed project would break ground early this spring with the goal of opening the new 24,000 square-foot church on Easter Sunday 2013.
The 64,000 square-foot school, he said, would be complete a few months later, in time for the fall school year.
The parish recently paid $94,000 to the city of Flagstaff for the three building permits necessary to begin construction last month, city officials confirmed.
Milligan said the parish is expected to spend an estimated $10 million to build the school and church on roughly 14 acres. The parish owns a total of 107 acres on the mesa.
The project, when complete, would consolidate most Catholic church activities in Flagstaff in one area.
Milligan said he expects to make a decision on a general contractor later this month.
Joe Ferguson can be reached at 556-2253 or jferguson@azdailysun.com.
