Exploratory work at the site proposed for a new elementary school has turned up nothing so far that would prevent a school from being built, according to the Elk Grove Unified School District.

"Everything is moving forward," district spokeswoman Elizabeth Graswich said late last week. She did not provide a timeframe for the district to complete its evaluation of the site.

The new facility for Cosumnes River Elementary School would be built on the site of the existing school.

In January, the school board unanimously approved a $900,000 purchase option for 15 acres surrounding the school. The plan would expand the campus from 4.5 acres to almost 20 acres.

District officials said the "paper planning" for the school would take at least a year and the facility might open in 2010 or 2011.

A 22-member task force of parents, teachers, staff and community members headed by CRES Principal Michael Gulden is working on a recommendation for what to do with the existing school community during the construction phase. This will not be an issue during the 2008-2009 school year, but it will come into play the following year, Graswich said.

The same families that sold the district the land for the present school, built 60 years ago, provided the additional property. Plans originally developed for a site on Stonehouse Road will be repurposed for the site on Highway 16, and a buffer will be created between the school and the heavily trafficked highway, school officials say.

Officials have said the water and sewer issues that caused the school district to give up on the Stonehouse Road site are not expected to resurface at the new site. The aquifer that presently serves the school is expected to provide adequate flow for the new facility. At a January meeting about the school site, officials estimated a definite answer to the question of the adequacy of the water would be available in four to six months.

Recent coverage: Community greets new school plan with skepticism (Jan. 24, 2008) ... District outlines 20-acre Cosumnes River Elementary School (Jan. 21, 2008)