Community Members Hear Updates on 2022 Bond Projects and Summer Work
Highline’s Capital Projects Oversight Committee met August 12 to review updates on school construction and other projects funded by the 2022 bond. The committee, which has met quarterly since the 2016 bond, monitors progress and spending.
Evergreen and Tyee High Schools
Chief Financial Officer Jackie Bryan and Executive Director of Capital Planning and Construction Ellie Daneshnia reported that new buildings at Evergreen and Tyee high schools are ready to welcome students. Both projects are on time and on budget.
The schools received temporary certificates of occupancy this summer. This allows students and staff to start school while contractors finish final punch-list items. Furniture deliveries and staff move-ins began in August.
- Evergreen High School (see photos)
- The demolition of the old building is nearly finished. Crews are grading the site, finishing parking lots and tennis courts, and will soon be building athletic fields. The bus loop and drop-off loop will be open September 1. Until the main lot is complete, staff will park at the Evergreen Aquatics Center and students in the west lot, accessible from SW 10th Street.
- The demolition of the old building is nearly finished. Crews are grading the site, finishing parking lots and tennis courts, and will soon be building athletic fields. The bus loop and drop-off loop will be open September 1. Until the main lot is complete, staff will park at the Evergreen Aquatics Center and students in the west lot, accessible from SW 10th Street.
- Tyee High School (see photos)
- The synthetic turf field and track are nearly complete. Parking areas are done, and the main entrance from South 188th Street is expected to open before school starts. Until then, vehicles must use the middle driveway entrance.
Pacific Middle School
- The new Pacific Middle School construction project began this summer. The school is scheduled to welcome students in fall 2027. Portable classrooms have been removed, and demolition is underway. Jobsite trailers are in place, and we are finalizing an interlocal agreement with the City of Des Moines.
- See photos from late August of construction and demolition progress.
- Pacific staff are ready to welcome students at the Olympic Interim Site, 615 S 200th Street.
Transportation Building
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Fourteen modular units arrived this summer and were set with a crane to form the district’s new Transportation Building. Crews are finishing interior and exterior work, utility connections, and a generator installation. Substantial completion is expected September 24, with staff moving in by October. The old Building L, a World War II–era barracks, will be demolished afterward.
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See photos in our website update.
Valley View Early Learning Center – Additional Classroom Building
- A new classroom building with three classrooms and restrooms was delivered as modular units and placed on permanent foundations. Work continues on the interior, exterior, and ADA pathways. Completion is expected in early September, pending water district approval.
- The project is supported by a state Early Learning Facilities grant, adding capacity for more ECEAP students.
- See photos in our website update.
Other Critical Needs Projects This Summer
Summer capital construction work included HVAC and boiler replacement projects at several schools. Many boilers are decades old, with a few dating back to the 1950s. Most replacements planned for this year are on track to finish by October. Additional replacements will need to be part of future bond cycles.
Bond Financial Report
James Schauss, procurement & budget manager for Capital Planning & Construction, presented the bond financial report, highlighting budget changes, bond issuance costs, and encumbrance adjustments for Pacific, Tyee, and Evergreen.
On Track and On Budget
The 2022 bond projects remain on schedule and within budget.