District looks at headquarters for classrooms

LYNNWOOD — The current Edmonds School District administrative office could be a viable solution for Scriber Lake High School’s facility woes, district officials said.

Building a new Scriber Lake school could cost an estimated $25 million, but renovations to the Educational Services Center, located next to Edmonds Community College, would cost much less, said Superintendent Nick Brossoit and Marla Miller, executive director of finance and operations.

That option would leave the district’s administrative office without a home, but they are looking at other possibilities, Miller said, including building a new home for the office.

“It’s less expensive to build office space than it is to build school space,” Brossoit said.

While this idea is still in preliminary discussions, it could be an option, Miller said, “at a cost that would save taxpayers.”

Voters have twice rejected a bond that would fund new Lynnwood and Scriber Lake high schools, so in 2004, the district only put the design elements of the schools, not the complete building costs, on the ballot. With its approval, Lynnwood High’s design plans are moving forward, and the focus is simultaneously on Scriber Lake.

The Educational Services Center’s placement next to Edmonds CC would be a good match for the school, Miller said.

“This building is a great opportunity for them because of its proximity to the college and the transit center,” Miller said.

The location is also fairly central in the district, Brossoit said.

The office, located at 20420 68th Ave. W., contains mostly cubicles and few load-bearing internal walls, Brossoit said.

“That lends itself pretty easily to be adapted,” he said.

He said district staff has been trying to “think outside the box” and discuss ways to best use the district’s properties.

District staff is interested in hearing back from the community on issues pertaining to last fall’s property study and funding for capital projects, including the Lynnwood High and Scriber Lake plans.