PORT ANGELES — Dates have been set for the final steps in bringing a construction bond measure to replace the 61-year-old Port Angeles High School in front of district voters.
The School Board plans to place a bond measure on the February special election ballot for construction of a new high school on the 39.7-acre campus at 304 E. Park Ave.
The amount of the proposed bond has been estimated at $80 million to $100 million, and the final numbers will be determined Nov. 13.
Today, students will have a chance to speak on what they would like to see in a new school during their advisory classes.
On Oct. 7, the Long Range Facilities and Capital Bond Committee will meet to hear a report on bond issues from Jon Gores of the investment firm D.A. Davidson & Co.
On Oct. 14, the district will offer a public tour of the school buildings and the third in a series of community forums on school facilities.
The tour will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the school’s main office and will be followed by the forum at 6:30 p.m. in the school library.
The facilities committee will meet Oct. 16 to develop a final recommendation for the school board.
On Nov. 13, the board is scheduled to hear the committee’s recommendation and vote on resolutions for the bond and for the district’s maintenance and operations levy, to be put in front of voters for the Feb. 10 special election.
Six of the 11 buildings on the campus were built in 1953, three in 1958 and two in 1978.
Reviews of the structures’ needs have indicated that it would cost at least 85 cents to remodel for every dollar spent to replace the schools, according to district estimates.
Construction bonds for the rebuilding of Jefferson Elementary will be paid off in November 2015, the same time a high school bond, if approved, would come into effect.
Paying off the existing debt would not entirely offset the larger high school bond but would reduce the levy’s impact on voters.
If the bond is approved, it would be the only debt the district carries, school officials have said.
McGranahan Architects of Tacoma, hired by the School Board to create a design concept for the proposed replacement school, has held two public and one staff forum to determine what the community wants to see in a new school.
The planned school design’s new facilities are expected to be placed east of the existing auditorium, known as the Port Angeles Performing Arts Center, to avoid displacing students during the construction period.
During the forums, community members asked for technological adaptability, outdoor courtyard areas, better common spaces for students, energy efficiency and preservation of the school’s views of the Olympic Mountains and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
If voters approve the bond measure, the new school likely would open in fall 2018.
The replacement would increase the total square footage from 222,000 to 237,000.
Currently, the area includes a teacher parking area, tennis courts and a district-owned house.
It has been determined that the 1,122-seat auditorium is too large for to be replaced at a reasonable cost and would be renovated.
The auditorium is used by community groups for concerts and performances after school and during summers.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
