PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles School Board plans to send a $98.25 million bond measure to voters in February 2015.
The board wants to replace the 61-year-old Port Angeles High School, and during a meeting last week, members voted unanimously for staff to create a resolution for a 25-year, $98.25 million construction bond.
The board is expected to vote on the resolution during its regular meeting on Nov. 13.
If the voters approve the bond in February, the project would the replace eight classroom buildings and refurbish the auditorium on the 39.7-acre sloped campus at 304 E. Park Ave.
A property owner with the median home value of $172,000 would pay about $275 more per year in property taxes, or $23 per month, if the bond is approved, said David Trageser, of DA Davidson, a financial services firm hired to advise the district on bond issues.
Gym left as is
The School Board declined to replace or refurbish the existing 51,379-square-foot gymnasium complex.
During the public comment session at the Thursday night meeting, Erik Gonzalez, a social studies teacher and coach at the high school, spoke against the decision to leave the gymnasium unimproved.
“It is subpar. There are some serious safety issues,” Gonzales said.
The replacement or refurbishment of the gymnasium was estimated to cost $16 million to $18 million, according to Chris Lilley of McGranahan Architects of Tacoma.
The board and the Capital Facilities Planning Bond Committee, an offshoot from the Long Range Facilities Planning Task Force, has been working on the project recommendation for nearly two years, committee member Steve Methner said.
Many members were upset when the gym was removed from the plan, but there are “contingencies worked into the plan” to be able to make some of the most necessary improvements, Methner said.
If the board chooses to repair only what is legally necessary to bring the building up to seismic and fire codes and meet accessibility requirements, it would cost 75 percent of the cost of a new building, he said.
Similar cost
The estimated cost of the proposed school bond is about average when compared to similar schools that have been built in Western Washington in the past few years, Lilley said.
McGranahan held three community forums and two teacher forums, and students were interviewed to determine what features were desired in a school building.
A preliminary design incorporated features from those conversation, including a single-structure concept, the use of natural light, access to outdoor spaces and the preservation of the existing auditorium.
The design has not been selected or approved by the School Board, and changes are expected to be made to the design as additional input is received from teachers and the community, said Gail Merth, project architect for McGranahan.
Board members noted that there are no local construction companies bonded for a project of this size.
“We don’t have a contractor who can bond a $98 million project,” said board member Lonnie Linn.
The board discussed how they might influence a Seattle or Tacoma general contractor to hire local subcontractors, including breaking up some parts of the project into smaller jobs on which local contractors can bid.
Board President Steve Baxter, who also works as director of information technology for Peninsula College, said that even without incentives, out-of-area contractors have hired large numbers of local subcontractors for the college’s recent construction projects.
Aging campus
Six of the 10 buildings on campus were built in 1953, two in 1958 and two in 1978.
A standard lifespan for a school building constructed during that period is 30-40 years.
Older schools may be eligible for partial state reimbursement for new construction costs, but School Board member Patti Happe noted that the funds are not guaranteed and cannot be figured into funding for construction.
Any funds received from the state would be discussed in a community forum before the district decided how to use the money, the board said Thursday.
The replacement plan would not increase or decrease classroom space, but would increase the overall square footage from 222,000 to 237,000, due to indoor hallways in place of current outdoor walkways.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
