On the horizon is the construction of a brand new elementary school on Wilburton Hill which will be located next to the district’s Educational Service Center and across the street from the Wilburton Instructional Service Center.
This new neighborhood school is currently in the planning and permitting phase and is anticipated to open in the fall of 2017.
The permitting process for the new school is more complicated because there hasn’t been a school on the site previously, Jack McLeod, Director of Facilities and Operations, explained. Construction of a brand new school on a previously undeveloped site requires a conditional use permit from the city.
The school, which has not yet been named, will be approximately 82,000 square feet, and will draw students from around the downtown and Wilburton areas, relieving overcrowding at Enatai, Woodridge, and Clyde Hill. Preliminary attendance areas for the new school were required as part of the city’s planning process. The specific area has yet to be defined. The district will hold community meetings with families in 2016 to discuss the attendance areas and transition ideas for students and families.
The school will have dedicated art and science spaces, and will feature green technologies similar to other new school buildings in the district. Additionally, the school will have a synthetic turf field and an early learning center.
Since the site is currently undeveloped there will be significantly more site prep work that needs to be completed before the school can be constructed, Kyle McLeod said.
It is anticipated that the project will go to bid next spring with construction to follow.
As the project progresses additional community meetings will be held to continue to keep the public informed and gather on-going input and feedback.