By Katherine Kelly, Sports Editor
On April 25, the Vashon Island community passed a capital facilities bond for $9.9 million to fund improvements to the track, field and other parts of the school system. The new track will allow for athletic meets to take place at the high school because now there will be eight lanes available for use.
The current track is 440 meters long, compared to the 400 meters that have been the standard since the mid-’80s. The new track will be able to drain, providing runners with a much-needed hard surface for practice during the rainy months that Vashon often faces.
The current field has patchy grass, compacted soil and muddy pits, which makes it difficult to play. The new field will be an “all-weather turf field.”
The board decided not to fill the synthetic turf with “crumb rubber,” but instead with a non-toxic cork or coconut fiber. This field will allow all-year access and use, making it less of a struggle to play on it. The specific turf that the school is getting tends to last 12 to 15 years.
The board plans to set aside $70,000 each year to be saved until the turf needs restoration.
Supporters of the bond heaved a collective sigh of relief when this bond passed. In February 2016, Vashon Island rejected the $27 million bond proposal that would’ve allowed many improvements to be made throughout the school district.
Feedback from the community indicated that the original proposal failed because it was too expensive. Thus, the board scaled down the bond, dropping its cost from $27 million to $9.9 million.
The 2017 bond will only slightly increase the annual cost that a homeowner has to pay. A $500,000 dollar home will have a tax increase of a maximum of $5 each month.
At Chautauqua, McMurray and the Building K on the high school campus, the facilities will also receive significant improvements. At Chautauqua, students and teachers alike are currently using old furniture that was moved from the old Burton Elementary School and has been in Chautauqua for over 20 years.
Chautauqua’s exterior paint has also just about reached the end of its life, so along with new furniture for the school, a new coat of exterior paint will be added. And because the kindergarten playground is overused because of the new all-day program, the bond will allow for a expansion of the playground, and provide coverage in terms of weather for the kids during their “recess break”.
At McMurray, lockers in the locker rooms are broken and do not serve their purpose. The showers in the girls locker room are being used as a storage unit. Carpeting, teacher furniture and window frames have become old and need to be replaced. The bond will provide money for these repairs and additions. McMurray will also be repainted as its paint is reaching the breaking point.
Building K, which serves students in Family Link and Student Link, needs renovation. The roof and the floor are worn out. Plumbing and mechanical failures are likely in the future, and the building needs to be expanded in general. The bond will help make these repairs possible, as well as expand and restore the building.
Building K, McMurray Middle School and Chautauqua Elementary School’s renovations will be roughly $2 million.
The school’s maintenance building is the 75-year-old building on the corner of campus where kindergarden was once held. The roof is falling apart and needs replacement, which will be completed with the bond’s help. When the building is renovated, there will be workshops held inside, and there will be more room for supplies to be stored. The estimated cost for these renovations is $2.5 million.
The board is currently scheduling these renovations.