SNOHOMISH — Sparks fly from the welding guns of the ironworkers in the Snohomish High School locker room. Steel beams are rising for the new auxiliary gym. The school’s gutted kitchen is being made over.
Years after the project was first proposed, Snohomish High School is being remodeled.
The school is undergoing a $63 million project aimed at bringing the campus up to par with the town’s other large high school, Glacier Peak, which opened last fall. Buildings at Snohomish High range in age from more than 100 years to just one.
“This is more than just a facelift,” project director Ralph Rohwer said. “This goes right to the heart of all of the spaces.”
The remodel includes upgrades to several buildings and the construction of a new gym, a library center and a performing arts center.
Some of the projects, including parking lot improvements and the kitchen modernization, are scheduled to be finished in September. Others won’t be done until September 2011, Rohwer said.
Workers are constructing fences and taking other precautions to protect students from danger when they return to school, said Jim Price, project manager.
Snohomish residents agreed to foot most of the bill when they passed a bond in 2008. A bond passed in 2004 was supposed to fund several projects, including work at Snohomish High, but there wasn’t enough money to finish work at the high school.
Snohomish School District leaders found out on July 15 that they are receiving $10.1 million in state money to help with the project. Everett was the only other school district in Snohomish County to receive money this year from the state’s capital projects “matching funds” pot.
Leaders at both districts expected some money, but they weren’t sure how much until they got word. Everett received $8.78 million for work at Jefferson and Whittier elementary schools.
“It’s never a sure deal,” said Mary Waggoner, spokeswoman for the Everett School District. “You can’t ever count on it coming in because it varies based upon how much money is there. You never know how many other districts are in the pipeline for those construction dollars, too.”
The state gives taxpayer money to many school districts that pass voter-approved bonds for school construction or remodels. This year, the state gave more than $150 million to 22 districts.
According to state law, districts must use the money on construction projects, not to deal with budget deficits.
“It is wonderful to get that level of state support to help underwrite the cost of the project,” said J.Marie Riche, spokeswoman for the Snohomish School District.
Kaitlin Manry: 425-339-3292, kmanry@heraldnet.com.
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