Meeting Summary
A small group of appointed community members and industry professionals meet quarterly to keep an eye on our bond-funded capital projects. They review our progress and bond financial reports, ask questions, and serve as a watchdog to ensure we are following through on our school bond promises with taxpayer funds.
We mourn the passing of attorney Scott Gifford, member of this committee since its inception in 2017 (top, center).
At the December 5 meeting of the Capital Projects Oversight Committee, Executive Director of Capital Planning & Construction Ellie Daneshnia presented an update on the progress of each project funded by the 2022 bond. Additionally, she provided a report on the remaining budget line items from the 2016 bond.
After listening to the presentation and asking questions, committee member Rose Clark said it sounds like Highline’s Capital Planning & Construction team is making great progress. “The community will be very proud and happy,” she said.
Here is a summary of the key points:
2022 Bond
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Evergreen High School — Currently in construction, working with King County on building permit approval. See the Evergreen construction update and photos, December 2023.
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Tyee High School — Construction is underway. See the Tyee construction update and photos, December 2023.
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Pacific Middle School — The project has reached 100% schematic design. See the Pacific design update and photos, December 2023.
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Sylvester Field — Planning is in progress for work to be completed in the summer of 2024. The project includes a synthetic turf field, a new track, modular restroom building and soccer mini pitch sponsored by the Seattle Sounders/Rave Foundation. See the Sylvester Field site plan, September 2023.
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Transportation Building — A modular building to house Transportation staff is in design and planning.
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Renovations at Southern Heights campus — Renovations to accommodate HIghline Virtual Academy and Innovations Heights Academy are largely completed, with only a few checklist items remaining. See the progress update and photos, September 2023.
2016 Bond
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Glacier/Des Moines/Olympic — The line items for Glacier Middle School, the new Des Moines Elementary School, and the Olympic Interim Site renovation project have been successfully closed.
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Highline High School — Although the project itself has concluded, we have kept the budget open for a few outstanding items. This includes the school board-approved HHS/Moshier parking lot improvement agreement with the City of Burien, which was part of the HHS replacement plans. Finalizing the remaining details is essential before we can close this budget line item.
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Additional steps are required to complete the 2016 bond financial report, and we are diligently working on these to ensure a comprehensive and accurate conclusion:
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Safety/Security/Critical Needs: Moving forward, any remaining funds will be allocated to Safety/Security/Critical Needs projects that may arise. Several projects, currently in the approval process with the school board, include:
- The replacement of aging portable classrooms at Valley View Early Learning Center with a new modular building featuring restrooms.
- The addition of lighting to the Sunnydale tennis courts near Highline High School.
- Both of these projects come with substantial grant funding.
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Evergreen/Pacific/Tyee Design-only: The remaining funds in the Evergreen, Tyee, and Pacific design-only budgets from the 2016 bond will be redirected for use in those specific projects now that their construction has been approved in the 2022 bond. This strategic reallocation ensures that these budgets contribute to the ongoing progress of the designated projects.
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