As the 2016 school bond construction, design and critical needs projects wind down, district staff continue to meet with and provide quarterly reports to the Capital Projects Oversight Committee.
Here is a summary of the April meeting.
Capital Projects Oversight Committee Meeting Summary
The Oversight Committee reviewed the 2016 bond budget status at the April 11 quarterly meeting.
Current Status of 2016 Capital Improvement Program Budget
- $27,650,529 unencumbered funds, to date
- $356,598,541 actual cost to complete, to date
These numbers represent the bond budget status as of April 11, 2022. They are not final numbers.
What’s Left To Do?
Ellie Daneshnia, executive director of Highline’s Capital Planning & Construction team, reported on progress.
Some final checklist items remain on the new Highline High School project, including the addition of a 100-kilowatt solar power generating system, which is partially grant funded. A contract for the winning bidder will go to the school board for approval this spring.
The school board previously approved use of bond funds for additional design work beyond the 50% schematic design phases for Evergreen (see design) and Tyee (see design) high schools. These two design-only projects reached 100% schematic design early this year and entered the design development and value engineering phases this spring.
If the school board votes this summer to place a school bond on November ballots, and if voters approve the bond, then the two high school design projects will be at the point that the architects can submit for a building permit.
Remaining projects fall under the Safety, Security & Critical Improvements budget. A large number of critical needs projects across the district have been completed over the past several years, including painting, boiler and roofing replacements, asphalt, playground structures, electronic door locks and more. Some bond funds will be held in contingency for emergency needs like boiler replacements, until a future school bond passes.
The security camera and system upgrade promised in the school bond is the last major project. A bidder was selected early this year for camera upgrades at 15 sites with the oldest equipment.
Presentation to School Board for Proposed November 2022 Bond on May 18
Highline’s Chief Operations Officer Scott Logan said that members of the community-led Capital Facilities Advisory Committee (CFAC) plan to present their updated recommendations for a November 2022 bond package at the May 18 school board meeting. The recommendation is based on recent cost estimates and tax projections overwhelmingly approved at the March 30 CFAC meeting.
The proposed $518-million construction bond would pay to rebuild Evergreen, Tyee and Pacific schools, plus a number of critical needs projects across the district, including a new synthetic field at Sylvester Middle School. Further details are available in the April 5 news post, “Advisory Committee to Recommend 2022 School Bond.”
Upcoming Meeting with FAA, Assisted by Port of Seattle
Highline Public Schools expects to receive FAA noise mitigation fees as part of future Pacific Middle School construction costs, similar to Highline High School and Des Moines Elementary School. Port of Seattle representatives are assisting district staff to work closely with FAA officials to ensure funding by providing guidance and setting up a meeting with the FAA this spring.
Property Updates
Scott updated Oversight Committee members with news regarding potential sales of non-school sites, as suggested by CFAC in previous years. He noted that staff collaborate with local jurisdictions to find appropriate uses for pieces of property no longer needed.
He noted that staff are also interested in purchasing a small piece of property within the Camp Waskowitz boundaries.
The recently acquired bowling alley property adjacent to the central office now has signage naming it central administration building south. Some maintenance is going forward to paint and update the roofing.
Ten lanes are being retained in the bowling alley to provide a practice venue for a new girls bowling league sport.
More Information
- Read a summary of the January 2022 Oversight Committee meeting.
- Check out the latest school construction updates on the Keeping Our Promise website.
- Subscribe to the Keeping Our Promise monthly enewsletter with school construction, bond and levy news.