After a failed attempt to pass a $26.9 million bond in February that would have paid for repairs to and replacement of some athletic facilities at Vashon schools, the school board has received new, less expensive estimates for the projects.
At the board’s meeting last Thursday, July 28, Brandy Fox, the district’s capital project management consultant, outlined expenses for seven projects:
Repairing Vashon High School’s (VHS) bleachers.
Replacing the VHS track.
Seismically upgrading the VHS gymnasium.
Replacing the roof on VHS’ gym.
Replacing the roof on VHS’ Building K.
Improving or demolishing VHS’ Building F.
Options for a new district bus barn.
The February bond attempt included all of these projects, but budgeted for a full replacement of the high school’s bleachers, construction of a new gymnasium, renovation of the current gym, as well as a full redo of the high school’s track and field that included synthetic turf. The board heard an expert speak about the pros and cons of natural grass and turf during the Thursday meeting, but did not make a decision about which to go with. More public meetings about the field surface will be held in the fall.
Meanwhile, Fox has been working with Vashon’s Ellisport Engineering to address the seven other projects mentioned above.
Starting with the high school’s 60-year-old bleachers, islanders and district officials have expressed concern over the stability of the wood and aluminum structure that is filled with hundreds of spectators during athletic games and at graduation. As the February bond was taking shape, some in the community noted how the stands shake and rattle when rowdy crowds fill them. The current bleachers are also lacking wheelchair accessibility and accessible viewing platforms.
These issues led the district to formulate an initial bond that called for a full, $4.9 million stadium renovation that included an estimated $500,000 replacement of the bleachers with a stadium grandstand complete with restrooms and a concession stand.
At last Thursday’s meeting, Fox reported that Ellisport’s Steve Kicinski had determined that the current bleachers can continue to be used with only minor modifications.
In fact, Fox said that bleacher repairs could be a “low-key” $100,000 to $150,000 project that could also be kept on-island. Most of the work will consist of repairing and replacing rotting wood and aluminum pipe supports, guardrails and connections between supports. As far as wheelchair accessibility, an aluminum ramp and platform at the front of the structure can be added. The accessibility improvements are estimated to cost around $75,000 according to the report.
However, Fox was careful to note that these are not permanent fixes.
“It’s important to remember the bleachers will have a limited lifespan and should be looked at again in five years,” she said. “We can only take improvements so far without a $1 million overhaul.”
Regarding the high school track, engineer Dave Anderson from Seattle’s D.A. Hogan architecture firm, said that in order to hold track meets, the current cinder track needs to replaced with a rubberized track for safety and drainage reasons.
“The standard is nearly always rubberized track because of its ability to absorb impact,” Anderson said.
He also said that because the field is currently slightly above the track, the drainage issue, which leads to the track flooding in wet months, cannot be fixed without a full overhaul.
According to Anderson, a rubberized, six-lane track would cost between $150,000 and $200,000.
The February bond attempt called for a rubberized track as part of the stadium overhaul.
For the VHS gym, the February bond called for the construction of a new gym and renovations to the existing gym to make it a storage and practice space. The new gym would have had a larger basketball court, bathrooms and new weight rooms. The project was listed in the bond as $15.9 million.
However, current discussions are focused on much smaller improvements. Concerns have been raised over whether the gym is seismically sound, but Fox’s report indicates Kicinski and his team found no seismic upgrades are required, but some minor seismic bracing of equipment in the building is needed. The bracing is estimated at $25,000.
The current gym’s roof is also in need of repair and Kicinski estimated the project to cost around $190,000.
Aside from the gym, two other buildings from before the new high school’s construction remain: Building F and Building K. Both are brick buildings built in the 1950s. Building K houses the district’s alternative education program StudentLink, and Building F is currently used for archives and storage.
In the February bond, Building K was set to be renovated for $550,000 — new HVAC system and roof — while Building F was set to be demolished. During last Thursday’s meeting, Fox said replacing the roof on Building K would cost $60,000. The HVAC system was not mentioned. Meanwhile, costs to address the poor seismic state of Building F along with other code updates is estimated to be $2.5 million. Demolition of the building is estimated at $350,000.
Lastly, the district’s bus barn and maintenance buildings are old, seismically inadequate and need to be replaced, according to studies done by Ellisport Engineering. The February bond called for the construction of a $3.5 million multipurpose service facility to replace these buildings.
Fox said last Thursday that the district has two options for a new building to accommodate maintenance, technology and storage, ranging from a 5,000 square-foot, $3.1 million building to a larger, 12,800 square foot, $4.85 million building.
Last Thursday’s presentation was the most recent in an ongoing series of bond planning discussions. No decisions about the bond amount or election date have been made yet.
