PORT ANGELES —Port Angeles School District is sponsoring three additional Stevens Middle School tours in the upcoming weeks.
The district has hosted public tours of the school to provide voters information about a proposed five-year $52.6 million capital levy to renovate and expand the 60-year-old Stevens Middle School.
The measure will be on the Feb. 11 ballot.
More middle school tours are set on the next three Tuesdays: this coming Tuesday, Jan. 21; Jan. 28; and Feb. 4.
Tours are from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., beginning in the library at the school at 1139 W. 14th St.
Both Superintendent Martin Brewer and Director of Facilities Nolan Duce will be present to answer questions.
Tour attendees will learn more about the goals of the levy, the structural upgrades it would fund at the aging school, and the long-term 30-year upgrade and accountability plan lined out by the Port Angeles School District, organizers said.
The tours “provide the perfect opportunity for those who want a deeper understanding of what our district is facing in terms of obsolete buildings and equipment,” Steve Methner, committee chair for Port Angeles Citizens for Education (PACE), has said.
“Great maintenance has extended the use of our buildings decades beyond their expected service lives, but fundamental structures and systems have become the issue,” he said, saying outdated and unfit infrastructure often can’t support modern training equipment and so 1950s equipment has had to be used in some cases.
“Ultimately, our outdated infrastructure has become increasingly difficult to repair, creates additional safety management burdens, and negates our ability to use modern technology to train our students for the workforce of tomorrow,” he continued.
The proposed levy would cost property owners an additional $2.62 per $1,000 of assessed value, or $655 per year for a $250,000 home.
The capital levy would fund 37,000 square feet of new construction and an overhaul of the existing 72,000 square feet, which would be done in two phases.
The district has a webpage with more information on the proposed levy at www.portangelesschools.org/2020levy.
