QUILCENE — Tuesday is the last day of voting on a $12.3 million bond measure for the Quilcene School District.
As of Friday, 743 ballots had been returned out of the 1,629 provided to registered voters in the district for a voter turnout of 45.61 percent. Of those, 730 have been accepted, for a turnout of 44.81 percent.
The bond measure — proposed to replace the elementary school, build a new Career and Technical Education (CTE) facility and make improvements to the athletic fields — narrowly missed the 60 percent supermajority needed for passage in February, bringing in an approval percent of 59.37, just five votes short of the number needed for passage.
Ballots must be returned or postmarked by 8 p.m. Tuesday to be counted.
The bond would be repaid from annual property taxes over the next 20 years at $1.74 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, if passed.
The tax rate would remain the same as it has been, Superintendent Frank Redmon has emphasized. It equals the amount district property owners have been paying for the capital levy passed in 2020, and the bond tax would not start to be collected until after the capital levy expires.
However, that doesn’t mean property taxes will stay the same.
County Assessor Jeff Chapman projects a 17 percent increase in property taxes in 2023.
The proposal lacks sufficient detail about specific costs and oversight and contains “frills,” said Robert Sorenson, who wrote the argument opposing the measure in the ballot pamphlet issued by the Jefferson County Auditor’s Office.
“The average Quilcene property value is near $200,000,” he said. “Tax rate of $1.74/100k is $348 annually and at 20 years, you will pay $6,960.”
Sorenson said Quilcene tests scores are the lowest for all Olympic Peninsula school districts, and asks how a new weight room, an improved athletic field and a new tech center would improve core academic performance.
Former County Commissioner Katherine Kler, who wrote the “pro” argument for the voter pamphlet, said the elementary school “has been rated structurally unsafe, and requires a seismic upgrade.” It racks up high costs for heating, and its outdated electrical wiring means that standard technology cannot be used, Kler said.
She also said vocational classes are crammed into the old bus barn and the sports fields need thorough upgrades to keep them playable.
The bond isn’t about politics or even about taxes, but about how residents of the district want to spend their money, said Jim Buck of Joyce, former state representative of the 24th Legislative District who has focused on earthquake preparedness for the past 14 years, in a letter to Kler.
The 2019-2021 State School Seismic Safety Project Final Report found an 85 percent chance that a 6.7-magnitude quake similar to the 2001 Nisqually quake could hit Quilcene because it is close to the Whidbey Island, Lake/Boundary Creek and Seattle faults, Buck said.
The study predicts that, in that event, all three Quilcene School buildings would collapse.
“In addition to the terrible loss of life, this will deprive Quilcene of emergency shelter and the ability to quickly get kids back to school,” Buck said.
“That is a big deal,” he said. “The latest emergency plans show the Olympic Peninsula supply chain via U.S. Highway 101 or the Hood Canal Bridge cannot count on ground transportation for a year or more.”
In contrast, the new elementary school that would be funded with the proposed bond and built to current building codes is predicted to survive with only 11 percent damage and a very low life safety risk, Buck said. It would require repairs and cleanup, but it could be operational as a community shelter and school building within hours, he added.
If voters reject the bond measure, then in the event of a major quake, “rescuers may spend days rescuing trapped, injured or dead Quilcene Rangers. This will be followed by a week of memorial services in the outdoors because there is no community shelter,” Buck said.
“Or, Quilcene can approve the bond and avoid the time required for rescues and funerals and take advantage of the intact emergency shelter the bond builds for the community,” he said.
Ballots were mailed to registered votes in the Quilcene District on April 6, and to military and overseas voters on March 25.
Postage is provided on ballots for those who mail them. They also can be returned in person at the Auditor’s Office through Election Day, although voters are asked to call ahead due to space limitations. The auditor’s office will be open on Election Day from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Ballot drop locations for this election are:
• Jefferson County Courthouse, 1820 Jefferson St., Port Townsend: a drive-up box in the back parking lot and walk-up boxes in front of the courthouse steps and inside the Auditor’s Office.
• Jefferson County Library, 620 Cedar Ave., Port Hadlock, next to the book drop in the parking lot.
• Quilcene Community Center: 294952 U.S. Highway 101, Quilcene.
Voter registration will be accepted in person at the Jefferson County Auditor’s Office on the first floor of the Jefferson County Courthouse at 1820 Jefferson St., Port Townsend, until 8 p.m. Tuesday. Residents must have lived at their new address at least 30 days prior to the election.
Those who did not receive ballots, or who seek more information, are urged to contact the Auditor’s Office in person, phone 360-385-9119 or 360-385-9117, email elections@co.jefferson.wa.us or see www.co.jefferson.wa.us/elections.
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Executive Editor Leah Leach can be reached at 360-417-3530 or at lleach@peninsuladailynews.com.
Jefferson County Senior Diane Urbani de la Paz contributed to this story.
