Washington (Hoyt) to be Included in Next Levy Vote

Learn, Proctor, promoted, Tacoma, Washington Hoyt - By Jennifer Boutell on Monday, November 23, 2009 - 15:53

Following an extensive review of the condition of nine of Tacoma's oldest elementary buildings, the Tacoma School Board today recommended that Washington-Hoyt's historic 1906 structure be included in the upcoming capital levy measure.

The inclusion of Washington brings the total number of schools likely to be included in the ballot measure to 3, including Baker and Hunt middle schools. Since the district cannot afford to rebuild three middle schools as they had hoped to with last year's bond failure, a smaller measure opens up the possibility to replace or modernize an elementary, for approximately half the cost of a third middle school. Total cost of the measure would be 104.4 million. The board also approved a measure to support the inclusion of a replacement Maintenance and Operations levy, set to expire this year.

In making the decision, the board consulted with facilities manager Sam Bell, who presented a Facility Evaluation Matrix in which the nine oldest primary schools were scored on such factors as exterior condition, interior condition, mechanics, safety & code compliance, and overall site quality. These scores were considered alongside the ages of each structure (and any later modifications or renovations) and the square footage, capacity, and enrollment at each school. Board members also took into consideration the materials used in each building, noting that 5 out of the 9 buildings consisted at least in part of a multi-level brick structure, more likely to crumble and result in loss of life in a severe earthquake. (In 1949, a wall of the original Lowell Elementary crumbled in an earthquake, killing an 11 year old student, who died pulling another student to safety. A statue outside the school commemorates his heroic act.)

While according to Bell "every single one of these structures needs to be replaced" the Washington portion of Washington-Hoyt (which is actually two completely separate structures) had the oldest weighted age, at 89 years. A multi-level brick structure dating from 1906, it is occupied by 294 students on a daily basis, or about 98% capacity. According to Bell, the structure would "almost certainly" be modernized, rather than replaced, retaining the original historic building.

The board considered including Grant Center for the Expressive Arts' 1919 arts wing, but concluded that it would be preferable to modernize an entire school rather than taking on piecemeal projects.

In other news, former News Tribune columnist Dan Voelpel was named the new Director of Public Information for the Tacoma Public Schools.

School District Levy Information
Tacoma Citizens for Schools - Levy Campaign