CHIMACUM — An upcoming bond item sought by the Chimacum School District is intended to improve its most modern school rather than rehabilitate old ones, according to the district superintendent.
“We have one good building and several that are in need of repair,” Superintendent Rick Thompson told about 50 people at the weekly meeting of the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce on Monday.
“We are not using the bond to fix the buildings that are not worth keeping,” Thompson said, referencing older district buildings that would cost more money to rehabilitate.
Ballots for the $29.1 million bond measure that will be on the Feb. 9 special election ballot are to be mailed to voters Jan. 22.
Primary school
The majority of the money raised, $19.8 million, is allocated for the expansion of the Chimacum Creek Primary School that was built in 1999, while the remainder will be used for upgrades of technology, heating, electrical and the construction of an all-weather track at the school district’s main campus.
“We need to look at this as an investment in education and create a building that will last,” Thompson said.
Currently the primary school includes kindergarten through grade three followed by the elementary school for fourth and fifth grades, a middle school for grades six through eight and the high school with grades nine through 12.
When built, the primary school will be expanded to be an elementary school including kindergarten through grade five.
The primary school needs to be expanded as it is currently at capacity and cannot accommodate any more students or staff members, Thompson said.
The primary school was built for expansion and the same architect who designed the original building is on board for the addition, Thompson said.
In order for the bond to pass, a supermajority of 60 percent of those voting must vote in favor.
In order to validate the election, at least 1,817 votes must be cast, which is 40 percent of the 8,744 voters who voted in the last election.
Bond defeated
The new measure comes one year after a $34 million bond was defeated by voters.
After that defeat, the district announced plans to try again, with April and November 2015 as possibilities for that attempt.
The district decided to wait to provide time to poll the public about what they wanted “in order to develop something we could sell,” Thompson said.
Items in the original measure that were removed from the current bond include construction of new buildings for the middle school and administration offices and a stadium with artificial turf.
“A lot of voters turn off as soon as you say the word ‘stadium’ because it is not academic, although there is academic value to a stadium because it does improve fitness,” Thompson said.
If passed, property owners will see a $1.26 per thousand dollars tax increase, or $252 for a property worth $200,000.
Another advantage of moving grades four and five to the current primary school location is its proximity to the Jefferson County Library and an improvement in communication.
“Right now, if a third-grade teacher and a fourth-grade teacher need to meet they need to go to a different building,” Thompson said. “Being in the same location will make it easier.”
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
