PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles School District voters with questions on why the school district is asking for a $98.25 million bond to replace much of the high school are invited to a tour of the school Friday.
Nolan Duce, director of maintenance, will lead the guided facilities tour beginning at 2 p.m.
Duce will show participants the difficulties district maintenance staff faces with equipment, structure, electrical, fire detection and suppression, and other aging or missing systems, district officials said.
The tour will meet near the main school entrance and offices at 304 E. Park Ave.
Voters will be asked to approve the bond issue Feb. 10. Ballots will be mailed Wednesday and must be postmarked by Feb. 10 or deposited in county ballot drop-boxes by that date.
The bond would cost property owners an estimated $2.06 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, based on 2014 property values. The tax would be in place for 25 years.
Two existing Port Angeles bonds costing a total of $0.46 per $1,000 of assessments — one for the construction of Dry Creek Elementary School and another for the remodelling of Jefferson Elementary School — will expire at the end of this year, meaning taxpayers would see a difference of $1.60 per $1,000 on their 2016 tax bills, rather than the full $2.06.
It would cost the owner of a $200,000 home $320 per year more than the current tax rate, or a total of $412 per year.
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 the November general election.
The school district is asking voters to fund the replacement of most of the buildings and help refurbish the “world-class” auditorium.
Only the 51,379-square-foot gymnasium complex would be left relatively untouched.
Inspections of the buildings have shown they are inefficient to heat, have deficient electrical systems, do not meet seismic safety codes, do not meet Americans With Disabilities Act access requirements, science rooms lack sufficient ventilation, and several buildings lack fire detection and suppression systems, district officials said.
In December, the roof on one building partially failed in several locations during a rainstorm, leaving a hallway awash with trash cans and water, they 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 arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
