SEQUIM — Sequim School District officials are seeking public comment on proposed building projects at a series of forums that begin this Wednesday.
The School Board is considering placing a $49 million bond on the February ballot for a slew of construction projects.
No final decision has been made on placing the bond on the ballot, the final amount of the bond, or the final list of projects that would be done.
The board has until Dec. 27 to pass a resolution to place a measure on the February special election ballot.
Four public forums are set this month to gather public comment, especially on those projects for which the board has questions, according to Brian Lewis, director of business services for the district.
The forums are set:
■ Wednesday at 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
■ Monday, Nov. 10, at 3 p.m.
■ Thursday, Nov. 13, at 6:30 p.m.
Each will begin in science classroom B-2 at Sequim High School at 601 N. Sequim Ave.
Attendees will then be conducted on a short walk to the district’s base kitchen at 221 W. Fir St. Transportation for the walking tour will be available for those needing assistance.
The forums will provide details about the proposed projects, and those who attend can make comments.
Results of the forums will be taken to the School Board on Nov. 17, Lewis said.
Sequim Superintendent Kelly Shea presented the School Board in September with a $46 million list of construction projects.
Other potential projects have been added since.
Wish list
The largest item on the wish list is a new elementary school to replace Fir Street’s Helen Haller.
That would cost an estimated $26 million.
The remainder of the list:
■ Add four classrooms and a gym to Greywolf Elementary in Carlsborg — $6,441,557.
■ Add six science classrooms, as well as band and choir rooms, to Sequim High — $9,258,400.
■ Reconfigure the high school B Building to provide four general education classrooms — $1,746,600.
■ Remodel D and A buildings at Helen Haller Elementary to house Olympic Peninsula Academy, which supports home-schooled families — $1,907,884.
■ Renovate the district’s base kitchen at Sequim Community School — $2,130,000.
■ Remodel a 1979 addition to the community school to provide a central warehouse and maintenance facility — $829,280.
■ Demolish the 1952 portion of Sequim Community School — $666,624.
According to Lewis, projects the board particularly has questions about are the renovation of the high school B Building, remodeling of the D and A buildings at Helen Haller, renovation of the base kitchen — which was built to serve some 1,200 students and now serves about 3,000 — and the central warehouse and maintenance facility.
The district currently has no such central facility, Lewis said.
A $154 million bond put before voters in April was rejected by 58 percent.
Dropped from the April list have been a renovation of Sequim High, a renovated roof on Sequim Middle School and improvements to the district’s athletic facilities.
The district has been told it could be eligible for an estimated $4.3 million in state matching funds for construction projects, Lewis said.
Officials plan to make a formal request for funds after a building facilities survey is completed in December, he added.
For more information, phone the district office at 360-582-3260.
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Managing Editor/News Leah Leach can be reached at 360-417-3531 or at leah.leach@peninsuladailynews.com.
