Community Newspaper for Blaine, Birch Bay and Semiahmoo, Washington

School asks voters for $20 million

By Soren Velice

It’s official: Blaine School District will ask voters to pass a $19.7 million bond issue May 15.

The school district’s director of operations Ron Butcher said after four meetings with focus groups representing a cross-section of the community, group members support the measure. “They’ve come to see it your way – not to parcel it out with a bunch of small bond issues,” he told the school board Tuesday. “They support a very comprehensive bond to improve our schools.”

The ballot date was pushed back from March to May after the groups told the board they wanted to inform the public about the bond. “They recommended moving it back to May so you can give a comprehensive presentation to the community,” Butcher said. “It’s been very well met with people we have met so far, and there are more meetings scheduled.”
The bond would pay for construction of new classrooms at every school on the Blaine campus, new locker rooms, a wrestling room and a computer lab at the high school, a cafeteria/multi-purpose room at the elementary, a new bus garage and playshed at Point Roberts Primary School and a new Educational Service Center; the Family Service Center will move into the current ESC.

Remodeling covered by the bond includes heating and air conditioning improvements at middle and elementary schools; remodeling of the high school library, the middle school bandroom, cafeteria and home-ec classrooms; parking at the primary school and Point Roberts primary’s driveway. The high school and middle school gyms will also get facelifts, with locker room and heating/air conditioning renovations and a fitness center update at Ken Waters.

The Performing Arts Center will get additional seating and a new sound system, while the bus garage and vocational buildings will also be renovated.

Fire protection will be updated as needed, finally giving the elementary and high schools, both gyms and the vocational buildings sprinkler systems to round out the campus’ fire protection.

“I just want to encourage the board to talk to people about this,” superintendent Gordon Dolman said after the board passed the resolution to put the bond on a special ballot. “You’re important people to this bond.”

“I’m open to anything,” board member Barrie Hull responded, “Except tarring and feathering,” he said with a laugh. Jane Woods, another member, was also optimistic. “I’m really excited we put our names on the line for this and we’re going to do this and pass it,” she said.