EDMONDS
If enough sports organizations want to play ball with the Edmonds School District, a new multi-sport athletic complex at the former Edmonds-Woodway High School may become a reality.
A second meeting to share the concepts mainly with neighbors is set for 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22, on the campus of the former high school. The address is 23200 100th Ave. W. All interested residents are invited to attend.
About 30 representatives of adult and youth sports leagues and organizations ranging from ultimate Frisbee teams to Shoreline Community College joined a sprinkling of interested individuals at an informational meeting on the project Jan. 18. Marla Miller, an assistant superintendent for the district; Ed Peters, capital projects director for the district; and Brian McIntosh, director of Edmonds Parks and Recreation, led the presentation.
The school district owns the property and has an agreement with the Department of Natural Resources to maintain education and recreation uses on the site. Since the new Edmonds-Woodway High School opened about eight years ago, the old Woodway High School has served as both an active and interim school among other uses. Currently it houses district programs including the Edmonds Homeschool Resource Center.
The facility’s athletic fields have been used by various sports teams over the years, but it is generally considered an underutilized and under-maintained facility, according to the district and city.
The site is a natural for a multi-field complex, say district and city representatives, because of the tennis and basketball facilities already in place, a paved parking lot that can accommodate 250 cars and a gym. Its wooded location atop a hill is amenable to field lighting and a greenbelt offers trail access from surrounding neighborhoods.
“What we’ve been working on all along has been drawings by the architects who have been working on the new Lynnwood High School,” McIntosh said.
Development of the fields would be funded with a mix of public and private grants and donations from sources such as governmental entities, sports leagues and foundations, Miller said. An application for a $3 million local community project has been made to the state legislature, McIntosh said, which would “get the project rolling.” The request is being championed before the capital budget committee by Rep. Brian Sullivan (D-Mukilteo) and Rep. Maralyn Chase (D-Edmonds), he added.
McIntosh said those interested in seeing the complex become a reality are asked to urge their elected officials in the 32nd and 21st legislative districts to lend their support to the request.
If the project moves forward, the district likely would manage the construction project and the city would be responsible for scheduling and maintenance. They would share responsibility for resurfacing the fields 10-to-15 years down the road, “although our hope on this complex is that user fees would cover operating and turf-replacement costs,” Miller said.
Typically, when the district signs an agreement with a city for scheduled use of its fields, the district retains use during the school day and for school practices up to about 5:30 p.m., she said. Evenings and weekends are turned over to the city to schedule.
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