Countdown to Completion!
It’s looking a whole lot like the 2016 school bond is coming in on time and on budget, despite some pesky equipment delays due to COVID-19.
The financial report is allowing the district to proceed with further design work on Evergreen and Tyee high schools this year in preparation for a possible November 2022 school construction bond—if put on the ballot by the school board.
Find out what the Capital Projects Oversight Committee learned in January.
Community members of the Oversight Committee received a quarterly bond progress report from district staff. Scott Logan, chief operations officer, and Ellie Daneshnia, executive director of Capital Planning & Construction, shared the financial report from the 2016 school construction bond and described the progress as they work to complete all punch-list items and final bond projects. Staff answered questions from the Oversight Committee members.
At the end of the January 10 meeting, committee members were given the opportunity to voice how they feel about the value of the committee or the status of the 2016 school bond spending and progress.
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“This committee is working exactly as it should. It’s nice to be able to talk directly to the top people involved and get answers.”
—Scott Gifford, Attorney, Scott Gifford Law -
“I’m very happy with these presentations. Things are moving along very nicely, and as much as possible right now.”
—Rose Clark, Former Chair, Capital Facilities Advisory Committee -
“My goal is to ensure we are living up to our commitments between the Port, the FAA and the school district.”
—Jeffrey Brown, Chief Operating Officer, SeaTac Airport, Port of Seattle
Capital Projects Report - January 10, 2022
With three school construction projects closed out, a fourth nearly closed out, and remaining Safety, Security & Critical Improvement projects nearing completion, there is funding remaining for two school design projects to move forward in the design process this spring. The school board will make additional decisions on remaining bond dollars in closed-out bond projects.
Current status of 2016 Capital Improvement Program budget:
- $34,905,494 unencumbered funds, to date
- $349,343,576 actual cost to complete, to date
These numbers represent the bond budget status as of January 10, 2022. They are not final numbers. Find out what is left to do below:
3 Project Budgets Closed, HHS Project Budget to Close Soon
Projects complete & budgets closed:
- Olympic Interim Site
- Des Moines Elementary School
- Glacier Middle School
The project budget for Highline High School will be closing out as soon as final punch-list items are completed.
Two Design-Only Projects Proceed to Next Phase of Design
The school board approved use of bond funds for additional design work beyond the 50% schematic design phases for Evergreen and Tyee high schools. These two designs are now at 100% schematic design and will begin the more detailed, design development phase in February. The process of estimating construction costs is ongoing to try to nail down escalating costs. The goal of the Capital Facilities Advisory Committee (CFAC) members who planned the 2016 bond package was to get as close to shovel-ready as possible prior to approval of the next school construction bond. The next bond could be slated for November 2022, pending school board authorization.
Tyee students will need to use the Olympic Interim Site during construction; Evergreen students will be able to attend school at their existing buildings while a new school is constructed in the northeast corner of campus.
Further design work on Pacific Middle School will wait until closer to a construction date since Pacific students will need to take turns using the Olympic Interim Site after Tyee students have moved back into a new Tyee High School.
Critical Needs, Locks & Cameras
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 and more. Some bond funds will be held in contingency for emergency needs like boiler replacements, until a future school bond passes.
The safety and security improvements promised in the school bond are nearing completion despite numerous obstacles beyond district control, including delays and equipment shortages due to COVID-19. When the much-delayed final group of parts arrive, the electronic locks contractor is ready to finish the last set of punch list items on the last phase of the districtwide electronic door locks project. Overall, the locks project is 99% complete. If parts arrive in time, the locks project is expected to reach substantial completion by January 28.
The security camera and system upgrade promised in the school bond is the last major project submitted for bid. The lowest, responsive and responsible bid was selected for the first phase of camera upgrades at 15 sites with the oldest equipment, and the contract will be considered for approval by the school board in January.
Good to Know
During discussion and questions, members learned:
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There is plenty of space at the Olympic Interim Site for Tyee students during future construction of a new Tyee High School, along with Maritime High School students and Highline Virtual Academy teachers, if needed, prior to locating a permanent home for Maritime High School. The Olympic Interim Site can accommodate 1200+ students.
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Both Tyee and Evergreen schools are planned for construction at 1,200-student capacity. For comparison, Highline High School was constructed for 1,500-student capacity, and Mount Rainier High School was built for 1,700. Current enrollment at Tyee is approximately 700, but district staff expect that new school buildings will attract more students. It is possible boundary changes may be needed in the future. If needed, boundary review would take place after construction and after enrollment numbers have a chance to settle out.
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Highline Public Schools expects to receive FAA noise mitigation fees as part of the Pacific Middle School construction costs, similar to Highline High School and Des Moines Elementary School. Port of Seattle representatives present at the Oversight meeting requested the design and construction timeline for Pacific as soon as possible in order to work closely with FAA officials to decrease funding delays.
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School board members make the decision of how to allocate remaining funds between project budgets.
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The Highline High School project is expected to add a 100-kilowatt solar panel installation with a net meter, if the project receives school board approval in January/February. The HHS Environmental Club Solar Project has been awarded a $110,100 grant from the state Department of Commerce. The student leaders raised public awareness and more than $11,300 in private donations, as well as identifying grant opportunities like the Commerce grant and an upcoming chance to apply for $125,000 in renewable energy credits from Seattle City Light.
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Moshier Field update: Half of this parking lot is owned by the district, and half by the City of Burien. The district paid for infrastructure, wiring, lighting, etc. and contributed some funds toward the project. The City of Burien is improving stormwater management in the new parking lot and the field. The City of Burien project includes converting an existing grass baseball field into a year-round, all-purpose sports field that will support baseball, softball, youth soccer, and lacrosse and practices for other sports such as football or cricket. (The grass will be replaced with synthetic turf called Rootzone by AstroTurf and the infill material will be Brockfill, an organic U.S.-sourced material.)