Priorities set for MLSD construction projects

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake School Board will vote, possibly at its June 9 meeting, on whether to adopt a report that includes a priority list for capital projects that could be funded through the construction bond approved by voters in 2017.

If the report is accepted, the first priority would be finding property to build the district’s 12th elementary school. Another priority would be fixing up Moses Lake High School.

“Any reasonable observer of the condition of our high school would be able to tell you that that structure is failing,” MLSD COO Jeremy O’Neil said. “It’s definitely throughout the facility, and it’s more acutely in about two or three wings, where whole classrooms are missing ceiling tiles.”

Board members convened a study session Tuesday to review the report and the recommendations therein. It was the result of a study by a committee of district officials and consultants who looked at the current state of the project and how to proceed.

David Beaudine, program manager for CBRE, the firm acting as a consultant, said the board’s approval is needed before the district can sell some of the remaining construction bonds. About $46 million remains in unsold bonds, according to the report.

The district has received, or will receive, about $114.5 million in revenue for projects associated with the construction bond, the report said. That includes about $89 million in bond sales and about $25.5 million in state construction funds. To date the district has spent about $104.5 million of that on the construction of Vicki Groff Elementary and Vanguard Academy, buying property and modernizing Moses Lake High School.

The second, third and fourth priorities listed are upgrades and repairs at MLHS. O’Neil said the high school roof needs extensive repairs.

The report recommends replacing the entire roof in parts of the building and patching other parts.

“Everybody agrees we need to do something,” O’Neil said. “What we don’t want to do is a Band-Aid fix. For example, if we do a whole roof for those wings, which would be many millions of dollars, and then come to the conclusion that the rest of the building is no longer suitable for future use in the design of a modern high school.”

A portion of the high school’s heating and cooling system also needs replacement, the report said.

The high school will be eligible for state renovation funds within a few years, O’Neil said.

“We’re going to have a real hard look at whether or not we can move forward long-term with that facility in the state that it is,” he said.

In light of that, replacing, rather than repairing, some sections of roof wouldn’t provide a good return on the district’s investment, he said.

Board member Alana DeGooyer said she wanted more attention given to single points of entry in existing schools and school security. The report suggested starting with the middle schools for security upgrades.

“The single point (of entry) is going to be a huge issue,” said board chair and Moses Lake Police Chief Kevin Fuhr. “The middle schools, I think, are the right way to go, because you can have some enhancement added to those schools to make them better.”

He cited doors that can be closed and locked remotely as an example.

Other projects on the priority list included new HVAC systems at North and Larson Heights elementaries and a new portable at Midway Elementary to accommodate the district’s growing preschool program.

O’Neil said most of the projects on the list would qualify for funding the district has received from the federal government for COVID-19 relief. Business manager Stefanie Lowry said the district has not allocated all of that money, but she was unsure how much would be left for those projects. Fuhr said using coronavirus relief funds, whatever amount that is, would allow district funds to go further.

The remaining bonds, or some portion of them, could be sold once the report is approved by the school board. District officials also can start looking for land for the new elementary school, with Mae Valley as the first area of focus.

Board member Shannon Hintz asked if all the projects under discussion fit within the parameters established in the original bond proposal. Beaudine said members of the committee made sure to stay within the lines.

“We went off on some tangents and (decided) we were outside the scope,” he said. “Is that (project) part of a long-range (discussion)? Absolutely. Is that part of this bond (discussion)? No. So we took it off our list and put it to the side.”

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.