By Pepper Fisher
PORT ANGELES – The Port Angeles School District is working about 6 years ahead by getting the design phase going for the expansion and renovation of Stevens Middle School.
Last week, the School Board unanimously approved the hiring of Integrus + YGH Architecture to manage the design and construction. Communications Coordinator Carmen Geyer says the district is already gathering input from the community.
“Yeah, so we’re currently in a 10-week-long pre-design phase of this project. So, Integris Architecture hosted listening sessions with staff and students to see what they envision in the new school. And next up, we’ll have community listening sessions in December and January.”
Geyer said Integrus spent an entire day at the middle school to watch how students move throughout the building and use the existing space. They also met with students to hear their ideas about a new school and what matters most to them.
As for the project budget and timeline, Geyer said those have already been firmly established.
“Yeah, so the total project budget for Stevens Middle School is 67 million, with 18 million coming from State Construction Grants. Construction can’t begin until the district collects all the tax funds from the capital levy, and it will be in 2025. And then, the estimated completion for the school is the summer of 2028.”
It’s early in the design process, but Geyer said that among the high priorities in the renovation are increased seismic and school security elements. In fact, she said the district has contracted with the architect to do a study survey of all the schools in the district to assess their resilience against natural hazards, something that hasn’t been done since 2008.
Finally, speaking on behalf of the entire district staff, Geyer had this message for the voters of Port Angeles.
“We’re so grateful our community passed this levy back in 2020. With this levy, we can do the work to keep our staff and students safe. So thank you so much.”