MERIDIAN -- The state's largest school district is preparing to open two new schools this fall to help ease overcrowding.
Last year, West Ada served more than 37,000 students and spokesman Eric Exline says around 1,500 new students have already signed up to join the West Ada School District this fall.
"We had some schools that were considerably overcrowded last year and this is going to help a bunch," Exline said.
The doors at Victory Middle School and Hillsdale Elementary will officially open next week, but teachers have been busy setting up their classrooms ahead of time.
At Hillsdale, construction crews are still hard at work making sure everything will be ready for students come Monday morning.
"Will every single little detail that needs to be finished ultimately be done? No, but the school will be ready," Exline added.
Hillsdale Elementary is part of an innovative joint-use facility.
Located near the corner of Amity and Eagle Roads, Exline says the combined elementary school, public park, YMCA branch and planned Meridian Library District branch will not only benefit students, but the entire community.
"It will be quite an asset for south Meridian, which is going to experience a whole lot of new growth in the next several years," he said.
YMCA leaders plan to break ground this November. They say there's a big need for their services in the area.
The south Meridian Y at the Hillsdale Community Center will include a gym, group fitness rooms and areas for exercise machines. Construction is expected to take more than a year.
Kindergarten through fifth-grade students at Hillsdale will utilize the YMCA's gym for P.E. when school is in session.
"The magic of this is the facilities will all be used more and they are more efficient because of us coming together," said Treasure Valley Family YMCA Vice President Scott Curtis.
This project will lead to a collaboration between all entities.
"For example, the YMCA inside the elementary school will be using those classrooms before and after school to provide YMCA childcare," Curtis added.
With a public YMCA and library branch operating right next door to an elementary school, Exline told KTVB there were some obvious security concerns to address.
He says the school's design takes safety into account, starting at the front door. Anyone who wants to enter the school will have to visit the front office first.
He told KTVB there will be separate public entrances for the YMCA and the library. The people won't go through the school to get to those locations.
There's also a separate gymnasium entrance that can be locked and controlled by Hillsdale teachers and staff when students use the shared gym space.
"I think what people will find when they come in here is that they feel like the school and the Y are one and library is one when in reality, behind the scenes, there are very clear dividing lines in terms of security," Curtis said.
The Meridian Library District is asking voters to pass a $12 million bond in November to pay for the south Meridian branch at Hillsdale. Funds will also be used to build another branch in north Meridian.
Students will utilize an upstairs childrens library room completely separated from the main library, said Exline. After school hours, the library will be able to open the space up to the public.
Stakeholders say the joint-use facility is innovative not only for Idaho, but for the nation. They're excited about what it will do for students and Meridian residents as a whole.
"A new athletic facility, obviously a brand new school, a new city park, a library branch," said Exline. "You tie that with how much growth is going to happen south of the freeway, this is going to be a real asset to the people who live in Meridian south of I-84."