QUILCENE — The Quilcene School District will host six public meetings to discuss possibly proposing a capital levy to fund replacement of the elementary school.
The school district received the results of a spring 2018 survey of its buildings which found that the 1940s building requires seismic updating, Quilcene Superintendent Frank Redmon said.
Updating the building would cost about the same, if not more, than building a new structure, he said.
The meetings will allow Quilcene residents to give input on “what can [the school district] do to serve the community better,” Redmon said.
“We heard a little bit through our board meetings that we basically need to spend a lot of time listening to our community,” Redmon said, “which was our intent anyway.
“This is the proper path to really spend some time going to where the community gathers rather than insisting that people come to us.”
Each meeting will run from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The meetings are set for:
• Sept. 10 — Quilcene Community Center at 294952 U.S. Highway 101.
• Sept. 11 — Laurel B. Johnson Community Center (also known as the Coyle Community Center) at 923 Hazel Point Road.
• Sept. 16 — Quilcene Bible Church at 295643 Highway 101.
• Sept. 17 — Assembly of God Church, 160 Washington St.
• Sept. 19 — Presbyterian Church, 294433 Highway 101.
• Sept. 25 — Quilcene Masonic Lodge, 170 Herbert St.
District officials said they hope to hear how much the public is willing to invest in the school before February, when they expect to place a replacement for the expiring Educational Programs and Operations levy on the ballot.
That levy would be for the same amount of $1.50 per $1,000 assessed property tax valuation in February.
The School Board is considering adding a capitol levy to fund the building of a new school, Redmon said.
The district also is reaching out to parents of Brinnon School District to get their input, Redmon said.
With the meetings, the district hopes to reveal “how much is the community really willing to invest on a facilities project,” Redmon said.
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Jefferson County reporter Zach Jablonski can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 5, or at zjablonski@peninsuladailynews.com.
