Capital levy, if approved, could continue upgrades at schools

Capital levy dollars, with some assistance from grants, have helped upgrade the heating and air conditioning (HVAC), roofing and electrical systems at the gym, as well as to replace asbestos-based wall panels, and could upgrade school facilities further if renewed by voters next month.

Grand Coulee Dam School District Superintendent Paul Turner took The Star and The Tribal Tribune on a tour of the Career Technical Education building, also known as what remains of the old high school, to show what work has been accomplished in recent years, thanks to capital levy dollars, and what is still left to be done.

The HVAC system in the gym had been replaced, addressing a common complaint about  the gym being too stuffy, and asbestos paneling inside the gym had been carefully replaced with a wall paneling textured for better acoustics.

Prior to the wall paneling being replaced, a basketball or other source of impact could knock off an asbestos-based panel. Federal law requires management or removal of asbestos, which can be hazardous to health over time.

The gym floor has also been refinished in recent years, and a stage curtain also replaced, paid for in part with money donated from the local Rotary Club,. 

Turner said that upgraded bleachers, a new scoreboard on the stage side of the gym, and other such items are on the list of other things that could stand to be upgraded in that gym. 

Below the gym, where there is a classroom, weight room, mat room, and locker rooms, Turner showed where the electrical system had been upgraded.

He said that the air circulation in those rooms could also stand to be upgraded.

On the level above the gym, where the preschool is currently located, another classroom, the office area of the former high school, the roofing, electrical, and more can also stand to be upgraded.

One option discussed for that space is for the administrative offices to be moved there from the west side of Coulee Dam to be closer to the Lake Roosevelt Schools.

Security upgrades, including cameras and communication systems between the main school building and the CTE building have also been made in recent years, with additional security upgrades still needed, including replacing doors on the building.

In the annex building at the former middle school in Grand Coulee, where the alternative school, known as the Alternative Learning Environment is located, the roofing and electrical should be updated, Turner explained. 

The ALE program is quite successful, Turner said, with about 30 students being enrolled in the program who weren't thriving in the traditional school setting for one reason or another.

Turner explained that these new upgrades would be made possible by renewing the capital levy, which expires at the end of this year and is up for renewal in the Feb. 8 election for another four years. 

The replacement Capital Levy for Safety, Technology and Facilities Improvement seeks an estimated $1.70 per thousand dollars of assessed property value to collect $595,000 in 2023, $625,000 in 2024, $644,000 in 2025, and $663,000 in 2026.