PORT ANGELES — The School Board is expected to make a final decision Thursday night as to whether a $98.25 million bond issue will be put before voters Feb. 10.
The school district has proposed replacing most of 61-year-old Port Angeles High School at 304 E. Park Ave. and refurbishing the auditorium.
The board will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday at Stevens Middle School, 1139 W. 14th St., to consider a resolution to put the construction bond on the ballot.
A 60 percent majority is required for voter passage of a school bond issue.
In addition, there must be a 40 percent voter turnout based on the number of votes cast in the school district in last week’s general election.
If the School Board approves putting the measure before voters in the all-mail election Feb. 10, the electorate will decide whether to replace eight classroom buildings and refurbish the auditorium on the 39.7-acre sloped campus overlooking Port Angeles.
A property owner with a home assessed at $172,000 would pay about $275 more annually in property tax, according to David Trageser of DA Davidson, a financial services firm hired by the school district to advise on bond issues.
At a previous meeting, the School Board declined to replace or refurbish the existing 51,379-square-foot gymnasium complex, though some minor repairs are planned.
The replacement or refurbishment of gymnasiums of the same size was estimated to cost $16 million to $18 million.
The board and a school district committee have been working on a bond recommendation for nearly two years after directors determined that the increasing cost of maintaining the older schools in the district is approaching the cost of replacement.
A preliminary two-story design by McGranahan Architects of Tacoma incorporated the existing auditorium into a C-shaped single building that makes use of natural light, access to outdoor spaces and for all currently existing shop and vocational programs.
The McGranahan 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, district officials have said.
Six of the 10 existing buildings on the campus were built in 1953, two in 1958 and two in 1978.
The replacement plan would not increase or decrease classroom space, but the design 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 arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
