AUBURN – The state has given its OK to a design for a new Lake Street Elementary School.

In a meeting Wednesday, the State Board of Education unanimously approved the planned three-story, 40,000-square-foot building on Park Avenue. The design calls for 17 classrooms, separate music and art spaces, and a “hands-on” room for science experiments and other projects. It also sets aside space for a library, gym, cafeteria, English as a Second Language program and a speech and language program.

Music, art, and the “hands-on” room will be on the basement level. Most offices, the library, gym and cafeteria will be on the first floor. Classrooms will be housed four or five to a wing on the first and second floors.

Although the building will be three stories tall, architects have designed it to be built on the side of a hill, minimizing the ledge work and making the building appear to be only two stories high from the back.

The project is expected to cost about $10.4 million. The state is expected to contribute $9.6 million. The city is expected to pay $690,000.

Voters approved the plan in a February straw vote, and approved the design in a June straw vote.

School officials want to hold a public hearing on the new school early in September. They hope to hold a binding referendum on the entire project later that month, but the City Council must approve the date later this month.