PORT ANGELES — Contractors, tradespeople and businesses learned about the scope of work and bid opportunities for the new Stevens Middle School during an informational event at the Red Lion Hotel hosted by FORMA, the primary contractor on the project.
Representatives with the North Olympic Peninsula APEX Accelerator also were on hand Tuesday to offer services to businesses which sought assistance with procuring government contracts.
Work at the site will start in May. The project will require a phased approached because the school will remain occupied while construction is underway. Demolition of the old building and abatement work will begin when the new school opens in fall 2027.
The project will replace the original school, which opened in 1960 and was modernized twice — in 1973 and 1978. At 87,000 square feet, the new building will be nearly double the size of the current facility.
The gymnasium, which was built in 1960, will receive significant seismic retrofitting, a new roof, paint, flooring and locker rooms.
The $70.9 million project is funded by a $52.6 million capital levy that voters approved in 2020 and $18.4 million from the State School Construction Assistance Program.
The Port Angeles School District chose a general contractor/construction manager (GC/CM) contracting method for the project, hiring FORMA, architectural firm Integrus and project manager Vanir Construction.
Kenny Fredrickson, president and owner of Olympic Electric in Port Angeles, was one of about 20 people who attended Tuesday’s event. He said the company was interested in bidding all of the electrical work.
“Just getting information about the process has been helpful,” he said. “It gets our questions answered, and there’s a little bit more information for us to go on.”
Amanda Grace of Good Man Sanitation in Port Townsend also wanted to know more about the project.
“We’re interested in doing more government contract work,” Grace said.
One of her company’s first and biggest service contracts came in 2023, when it was contacted by the National Park Service to see if it could provide portable sanitation at Hurricane Ridge after the day lodge burned down.
Grace turned to APEX Accelerator to help her navigate the complex, multi-step federal government bidding process.
“It is absolutely confusing,” Grace said.
Rebekah Miller and Justine Wagner of APEX Accelerator, which is part of the Clallam Economic Development Council, said requirements for local, state and federal contracts were all different and the process is not intuitive, particularly for those who haven’t done it before.
“We bridge the gap between the government and the contractors,” Wagner said.
In addition to assistance throughout the bidding process, Miller said she and Wagner help businesses in Clallam and Jefferson counties register for the right databases so they can compete for government contracts like the Stevens Middle School project.
It is a priority for the Port Angeles School District that as much subcontracting work as possible be available to local businesses. Dealy Etter, FORMA’s senior project manager, said the company’s goal is to award 30 percent of the work to local trades.
Fredrickson said he appreciates that focus when many jobs go to out-of-town contractors.
“There’s a lot of interest in this project and being local is a good opportunity for us,” he said.
The next site walk at Stevens Middle School is scheduled for May 8. Drawings and specifics will be available on the Builders Exchange of Washington website. Businesses that are interested in subcontracting work with FORMA can be added to its database at tinyurl.com/32cz7ua4.
A ceremonial groundbreaking at the Stevens site was held April 12. A contract for groundwork and utilities will be presented to the school board at its April 24 meeting.
The Stevens Middle School project is part of the school district’s 30-year capital facilities plan that includes replacing Franklin Elementary and Port Angeles High School. In November 2024, voters approved a 20-year, $140 million bond for those projects.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com
