Seattle School Board Agenda Item: Buy the Federal Reserve Building
I did forget to mention this previously and an alert reader reminded me of it; there's a notation on the Board agenda for an Executive Session at the end of the meeting:
Executive Session: To consider the selection of a site or the acquisition of real estate – This closed session will begin at the conclusion of the regular Board meeting and last approximately forty-five minutes. The legislative session will not reconvene after the executive session, and no action will be taken as a result of the executive session.
I believe this is likely to be over how much the district is willing to pay for the Federal Reserve building and land. $10M? $15M? $20M? I haven't seen any estimates of how much it is worth (given its condition and its landmarking status). The auction starts on Dec. 5th and continues until Jan. 28, 2015. Opening bid is $5M.
The district, if successful, would buy themselves land and a building and, doing it thru auction, they also buy time. All good things if you want a downtown school.
But then there's always the question - where's the money to buy it?
The answer to that will NOT be non-voted bonds (unless Sherry Carr is going to walk around with her arm twisted around her back).
BTA IV? Doesn't get voted in until Feb. 2016 and that will be after this upcoming Superintendent vote AND elections of four of the seven Board seats in November 2015. What will be the mood of voters by then? It's one thing to fix up schools; it's another to be buying land and a building that needs heavy renovation.
Some kind of public-private partnership? Sure did anyone step forward at any point when the district was trying to get the property for free? And now when the district needs money? Good luck.
That leaves our old friend, BEX IV. Yup, I think some poor school and its project is going to get somehow rolled back or downgraded.
Now since this is an "Executive Session" we won't know anything until the district starts bidding. I can ask their upper limit but they are unlikely to say because they don't want to show their hand to other bidders.
Comments
Ms. Peaslee please stop with your childish mannerisms and start meeting with your constituents. I know you said you are not running again and you have decided to punish everyone who turned against you over GHS, but trying to install Nyland?, is this how you want to be remembered.
Every move these folks make should be in daylight open to public scrutiny at every phase.
Why should we allow closed door meetings for anything the district does. This is insane and needs to stop. The corruption needs to end. Mr. English need to be fired for legal malpractice. SPS should not have lawyer client privilege. SPS should not be having legal round tables for special education. SPS legal should not be writing IEPs.
If the students want to march on issues they don't need to look across the nation for issues just look at their own district.
Wake up
- North-end Mom
- North-end Mom
Reader
I've heard the Lincoln remodel to make it into a HS (BEX IV money, I think) has already been cut from the pretty pitiful 20 million to 10 million. (I might be wrong and it was cut from 40 million to 20 million, but I think it was cut from 20 to 10).
So there's your money - for something. 10 million to renovate that property doesn't go far at all. Seriously - 10 million? And that's supposed to be as good as Ballard or Roosevelt? Don't think so.
Really, really ought to build a fab and wonderful modern HS at Wilson Pacific/Licton Springs site (about the same as the cost of 2 schools scheduled for the land) and have the Lincoln building be a bigger middle school than HIMS bldg. (wouldn't be as expensive as HS renovation) and Hamilton be flipped to become the huge elem. school that is HCC in the north.
But a 10 million reno of Lincoln is a terrible choice - it will create a crummy school right between Roosevelt and Ballard.
Signed: Money Counts