The Richland School District has completed the $20 million construction of Tapteal Elementary on the site of the old school that bore the same name in West Richland.

Tapteal serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

The 65,500-square-foot building offers 28 classrooms, three special-purpose classrooms, a library, multipurpose space, art and music areas and a playground.

Construction wrapped up in late 2020. The district expected students and staff to return to the building in April as in-person learning resumes during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Design West of Kennewick is the designer. Fowler General Construction of Richland was the general contractor.

Richland School District voters approved a $99 million bond in February 2017 to replace Badger Mountain and Tapteal elementaries and to build new elementary schools in West Richland and in south Richland.

The bond also funded work at the Richland High auditorium, Fran Rish Stadium, the Hanford High athletic fields, land purchases, the Jefferson Early Learning Center and to construct the Richland School District Teaching, Learning & Administrative Center in West Richland.

The 2021 property tax rate for bond debt in the Richland School District, which includes West Richland, is $2.41 per $1,000, or $723 for a home with a taxable value of $300,000.