If the pumps fail, Lynnwood High School floods.
That is one of the reasons why the aging school needs to be replaced, said Principal David Golden.
Ground water runs off of a nearby hill and under the school so the pumps run every few minutes all year year long, he said. If the pumps fail, the first level of the school would flood within 48 hours.
“We’re OK as long as power is going to those pumps,” he said.
In addition to the potential for a flood, the school’s elevators are not in line with current building codes, several concrete beams have caps to protect from falling concrete and asbestos is contained within the walls.
“The ironic thing is that most of the things we are hearing about are behind the walls,” Golden said. “It looks a lot better than it is on the inside.”
He could get his wish if voters approve a $140 million bond measure in a special election Feb. 7.
If voters approve the bond, which requires a 60 percent supermajority of voters’ approval, the school would be able to build a new school on the east side of I-5 to replace the current Lynnwood High. Also, Meadowdale Middle School would be replaced with bond dollars.
By leasing the valuable land across from Alderwood mall on which the current high school sits, the district would be able to generate another $140 million for other projects. Replacing Alderwood Middle School, Madrona K-8 school and Lynndale Elementary are at the top of the list.
If voters approve the bond, the tax impact will vary from year to year, but Superintendent Nick Brossoit said he estimates rates per $1,000 of assessed valuation will be 13 cents in 2007, 27 cents in 2008, 77 cents in 2009 and 2010, and 33 cents in 2011 for the bond.
The Feb. 7 ballot also contains a measure to replace the district’s operations levy, which accounts for approximately 20 percent of the district’s operational expenses.
But that is all contingent upon the measure passing, something Edmonds voters have been hesitant to do recently. In 1998, voters approved a $72.25 million measure, but similar attempts in 2002 and 2003 failed.
The district is promoting the new high school’s money-saving features to voters.
The new school will be larger than the existing high school, but would actually be at least $10,000 per year cheaper to operate, said Ed Peters, the district’s capital projects director. A computer program the district developed to control the boiler causes it to heat the school more efficiently.
The school will be built to comply with Washington’s mandate for schools to be more environmentally friendly by 2007, Peters said.
The new school features include ceiling-to-floor light wells that would channel natural light to the lower floor of the buildings. This would also create an efficient ventilation system, Peters said.
Also, the exterior windows have been designed to allow for more natural light to be used in the back of class rooms.
The new high school would have a modern design, complete with a central court yard, something the district has dubbed “The Agora.”
“The great feature is the Agora,” Golden said. “We’ve found that, in talking to kids … they wanted to be able to see each other and be seen during the school day.”
Golden said that the school’s current condition has an effect on the students.
The perception that the Lynnwood High School is inferior to newer campuses has caused some students not to attend the school, he said.
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