Everything Bremerton

By Colleen Smidt

This month, Bremerton households received an informational mailing regarding the upcoming Bremerton School District Capital Projects Levy which will appear on the Feb. 9 ballot.

Listed on the mailing and on the district website were a series of dates and locations where district staff and levy supporters would be making themselves available to the public for questions, comments and the opportunity to learn more about exactly what the proposed levy would involve.

I personally attended the community levy meeting at the district office on Jan. 6 and the one held at Bremerton High School on Jan. 12. There was lots of information to be obtained and important questions to be asked, but very few community members or parents attending to ask them.

It is a plain fact that state and federal funding–  with the endlessly legislated strings, hoops, restrictions and unfunded or underfunded mandates tied to nearly every dollar – have left gaping economic holes when it comes to a district staying in compliance with all regulations while still covering all of its expenses to do so.

When a school district puts forth a proposed capital levy to its community, I view it as an opportunity for the community to invest in its own education infrastructure, which is not covered by state and federal funding. It is also an opportunity to exercise local control over exactly where that money goes and what it pays for.

The preservation of district assets, especially for those facilities that are well into their expected useful life, takes money to keep them running and available as usable community spaces. Included preservation items in this particular levy include upgrades to fire and security systems and replacement of a district phone system that is DOS based and has aged to the point that it will soon no longer be supported by the manufacturer. Also included in the levy are roof replacements for several district buildings and HVAC and technology upgrades.

Synthetic turf upgrades will be a part of what this levy will pay for at both Memorial Stadium, which is the high school field, and Legion Field. Currently the maintenance effort that it takes to make the existing natural grass usable is extensive and expensive. Even with all of that effort, the amount of time the fields can be used by the district and the community are limited as the conditions of the natural grass deteriorate considerably in the fall and winter months.

Removal of the non-usable East High School buildings will be a significant project covered by the levy dollars. I was not entirely comfortable with an educational property of this type and location not having a more significant educational role to play going forward when the lease with the Youth Wellness Center was in place. Now that the Youth Wellness Center has disbanded, the removal of the non-usable buildings combined with the improvements to the gym will move the property forward so that it can play a major educational role in the future as the student enrollment in the Bremerton School District continues to grow.

I will be voting YES on the upcoming Bremerton School District Capital Projects Levy.