tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post4553803337696056297..comments2024-03-29T02:41:52.718-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: Guess It's a Done DealMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-5213307524640366822009-12-05T15:51:07.847-08:002009-12-05T15:51:07.847-08:00It is a very complicated transaction that will exe...It is a very complicated transaction that will executed over nearly 100 years, involving hundreds of millions of dollars, and includes a great deal of political and legislative risk.<br /><br />The very high level view is that SPS is trading 9 acres of land in Seattle Center in return for 1.5 acres of land from the City.<br /><br />Certainly on the surface this does not appear to be a fair deal for SPS.Kelly Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11831000256000142905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-83924516477594671312009-12-03T22:21:39.909-08:002009-12-03T22:21:39.909-08:00H20 girl -- In theory, it is not a bad idea to mak...H20 girl -- In theory, it is not a bad idea to make McClure a high school. But the reality is that McClure is teeny. It is one of the smallest middle school buildings in the district. So it would mean a tear down and re-build or a huge remodel. Personally, I think that Lincoln is a better option than McClure.Moosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14000546753926356080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-17214559734079752272009-12-03T15:23:01.649-08:002009-12-03T15:23:01.649-08:00Here's a crazy idea - make McClure a high scho...Here's a crazy idea - make McClure a high school, make Blaine a middle school, and re-open Magnolia Elementary. Bingo - QA and Mag are self-contained. The Queen Anne Bowl is down the hill from McClure - football practice could be there. Or if folks feel strongly about having Blaine be a K-8 make Magnolia the middle school.h2o girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12512408535354009657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-73960332302107783152009-12-03T09:26:55.132-08:002009-12-03T09:26:55.132-08:00Yes, Seattle Center is in lower Queen Anne. Howev...Yes, Seattle Center is in lower Queen Anne. However, it is at the edge of Queen Anne, and relatively far from the center of the school-age population. Mercer Garage is also too small a site for a high school, and has insufficient parking for evening or weekend events at the high school. Lower Queen Anne real estate is particularly expensive. We could probably have a better site for the same or less cost on upper Queen Anne, Interbay, or Magnolia.Patrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16260807460417787614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-47522036091432155012009-12-03T07:33:06.709-08:002009-12-03T07:33:06.709-08:00The Center School's lease is up in 4 years. I ...The Center School's lease is up in 4 years. I hope the District will renew, but there are no guarantees. There's also the question of where the school will go --physically-- while the City is remodeling The Center House. This is an issue for a variety of organizations; Book-It Theater, for example, has been looking for new digs for a while now.SolvayGirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12709893209963350066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-70768345776694661472009-12-03T05:49:56.497-08:002009-12-03T05:49:56.497-08:00There appears to be land available in the Interbay...There appears to be land available in the Interbay area. It strikes me as an attractive site for a high school, but it might be too close to Ballard. What about further south on Western, closer to F5 Networks and CTI?<br /><br />As for the idea of a high school right by Seattle Center, I don't need to remind anyone of The Center School, do I?Charlie Mashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17173903762962067277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-44267644661312042462009-12-02T21:51:26.728-08:002009-12-02T21:51:26.728-08:00That Mercer garage is on Queen Anne, lower Queen A...That Mercer garage is on Queen Anne, lower Queen Anne. Queen Anne wants a high school; this seems reasonable. Where else on QA could it reasonably go? <br> That stadium is old. It probably needs to be rebuilt. <br> The district gets all the money they are currently taking in for the parking lot, a new stadium, and space for a school. Sounds like a good deal to me.Sydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08715140880268606856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-61902977442681935152009-12-02T15:15:41.028-08:002009-12-02T15:15:41.028-08:00What would Seattle Schools do with the small block...What would Seattle Schools do with the small block that's now Mercer Garage? It seems too small for a school, especially a high school. I think of them as needing athletic fields for PE and practice, probably an auditorium, parking for the teachers and some students, dropoff space that's not on a major street like Mercer. Is there significant school-age population near Seattle Center? I am doubtful.<br /><br />Maybe the School District should sell the land and use the proceeds to buy a site for a high school in a better location, for instance for Queen Anne/Magnolia.<br /><br />I'm not sure it's worth it from the city's point of view either. $200M to demolish an adequate parking garage and put it underground instead, and make a big lawn even bigger?Patrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16260807460417787614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-72533539340010966872009-12-02T14:27:04.521-08:002009-12-02T14:27:04.521-08:00I'd like to see a downtown high school for the...I'd like to see a downtown high school for the same reasons. Put something really attractive there (Language Immersion? IB? Gifted Academy? Expanded Center School arts program? HS/Community College on the same campus? Some combination?). Make it an option school, with Queen Anne and Magnolia as the geographic zone. I expect it would take 5 years to build a new high school, and there is a couple years lead time before the city is ready to tear down the existing garage. That would have the building coming online a little before the current bubble of PK-2 kids are hitting high school.TechyMomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04650916001250022778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-30017665377939284332009-12-02T14:17:51.271-08:002009-12-02T14:17:51.271-08:00I am just in the middle of reviewing board policie...I am just in the middle of reviewing board policies, and this is an example of one glaring problem with Board policy: there is no insistence on meaningful public engagement by either the Board or the District. The voters pledge that I am working on with others will probably make this a focal point of the demands.<br /><br />Anyone who is interested to help in some way with this pledge (reviewing the draft, setting up a website, strategic planning, soliciting pledges, compiling the documentation to justify one of the demands, etc.) please email me at joan@mathascent.orgJoan NEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02810050976533673804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-55583591654819859492009-12-02T14:09:56.414-08:002009-12-02T14:09:56.414-08:00Why keep a stadium downtown? Maybe because all ro...Why keep a stadium downtown? Maybe because all roads, bridges, transit and rail lead to downtown. Who wants a new stadium, along with the crowds and traffic, in their neighborhood and who has room? What about the equity of having something centrally located for the whole city?wseadawghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08750439461734046035noreply@blogger.com