Input sought on Lake Stevens High expansion project

Published 1:30 am Monday, September 26, 2016

LAKE STEVENS — Architects are planning the future of Lake Stevens High School and a public meeting is set for Tuesday evening to gather ideas from the community.

An $83 million project to expand and update the high school is under way. Much of it is being paid for out of a $116 million bond passed by voters in February.

Designs are still in the works and the plan is to stage the construction in phases so students can remain on campus during the work, according to the district. Construction should start by summer 2018 and is expected to last at least three years.

The to-do list includes adding class space for general education, improved classrooms for special education programs and new areas for music and athletics. The swimming pool is expected to get an upgrade, as is campus security. The restrooms are due for an overhaul. Heating, ventilation, roofing and electrical systems are set to be replaced. Student parking and bus loading zones are expected to be reconfigured, too.

Between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, architects plan to give a presentation and then lead activities to gather ideas from people who live in the area. They want to know what parents, students and neighbors hope to see in the expanded and modernized school, district spokeswoman Jayme Taylor said. Anyone who lives in or has children who go to school in the community is encouraged to attend.

Students, school employees and parents already have done some workshops and online surveys. Those, along with the public meeting, are being used to shape plans for the high school.

The expansion of the high school is separate from the district’s plan to eventually transition Cavelero Mid High into a second high school. School officials say they don’t expect to need a second high school for at least another decade. Before the Cavelero transition, they expect to build a new middle school and reconfigure boundaries, neither of which is planned within the next few years.

For more information about the high school expansion and update project, or about the Tuesday meeting, call the district at 425-335-1668.

Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.