PORT TOWNSEND — The passage of a $3.6 million bond to repair Mountain View Commons on Tuesday was met with elation and the immediate launching of plans the following day.
City Manager David Timmons said Wednesday the city soon would begin tackling a list of improvements, beginning with replacement of the classroom roof, which will cost about $500,000.
Work on the roof will begin in the spring and finished over the summer, Timmons said.
It will look about the same, he said, but will be stronger than the present roof and will be reinforced with a seismic retrofit.
Port Townsend Food Bank manager Shirley Moss is getting into gear even more quickly.
Passage of the bond means her agency will be able to purchase new equipment, she said, and she plans to meet with Timmons today “and start talking about the refrigerators.”
“I’m thrilled,” she said Wednesday.
“I love this community and the fact they are supporting this building.”
Electrical circuits and installation of full handicapped access are likely to be among the initial projects, Timmons said.
The bond measure authorizes raising up to $3.6 million in bond sales to go toward the estimated $4.1 million needed to complete repairs at the aging complex.
Property owners will pay for only part of the cost of repairs, with a property tax increase of no more than 13 cents per $1,000 of valuation for 15 years.
Although not all ballots are counted in the special election, the first count Tuesday made it clear the bond measure — which needed a 60 percent supermajority for passage — was a go.
The initial count found 2,492, or 71.47 percent, of voters supporting the bond with 995 votes, or 28.53 percent, opposed.
Rose Ann Carroll, Jefferson County auditor, said her office received Wednesday another 861 ballots for special elections throughout the county, bringing total ballots received to 10,599 out of 20,135 mailed for a voter turnout of 52.64 percent.
The next count is scheduled by noon Friday.
The initial results of the city bond measure election matched those for another ballot measure, a replacement levy for the Port Townsend School District, which also garnered 71.47 percent approval.
“This is two great wins for the community,” said Jeff Randall, who along with his wife, Shelly Randall, headed a campaign in favor of the bond.
“The real winner is the community.”
The Mountain View site is leased by the city of Port Townsend from the school district.
Tenants at the former elementary school at 1919 Blaine St. include the Port Townsend Police Department, the Port Townsend Food Bank, Jefferson County YMCA, the ReCyclery, the KPTZ 91.9 FM radio station, Working Image, the Olympic Peninsula chapter of the Red Cross and the only public pool in Jefferson County.
The bond will fund installation of a new heating system, roof repairs, city pool maintenance and will address other structural issues.
The roof on an auxiliary building won’t be replaced until its current tenant, the YMCA, reveals its plans for a new facility at the location.
“We want to see what they have planned before making these repairs,” Timmons said.
“If they are going to build a new parking lot, then we don’t want to fix the one we have and spend money on something that will be replaced.”
KPTZ-91.9 FM station manager Nora Petrich said the measure’s passage gives the radio station a sense of security.
“We will be able to extend our lease,” she said.
“We signed last year, but they only gave us a short lease in case they had to boot us out.”
The Jefferson County Auditor’s Office counted 3,541 ballots out of the 7,124 mailed to district voters, for an election night turnout of 49.71 percent.
The office counted 9,738 ballots out of 20,135 mailed to registered voters in races throughout the county — none of which was countywide — for a total election night turnout of 48.36 percent.
The full increase for the Mountain View bond will first appear on the 2017 tax statement, although property owners will most likely see a 5-cents-per-$1,000-of-valuation increase in 2016.
The amount between the total cost of the project and the amount raised by the bond measure will come from grants that are already committed from the state Department of Ecology for $300,000; the state Department of Commerce for $500,000; a grant of about $180,000 administered by the Jefferson County Public Utility District; and other sources to be determined, according to Timmons.
Interest on the 17-year life of the bond is estimated to cost $1.46 million, based on a 3 percent interest rate.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
