Sunday, February 16, 2025

Pateros School requests bids for $6 million modernization project

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PATEROS – School Superintendent/Principal Scotti Wiltse and Maintenance, Custodial, and Transportation Supervisor Nolan Tonseth addressed the city’s second annual Community Open House on Jan. 28, where they unveiled a $6 million upgrade project funded through a Small District Modernization Grant.

The contractor bidding process starts this week and continues until 3 p.m., Feb. 18. Construction work begins in March.

Issued through the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) the Small School District Modernization Grant is designed to assist small districts with enrollments of less than 1,000 students to address:

  1. Facilities with significant building system deficiencies.
  2. Property value so low that replacing or modernizing the school facility through the school construction assistance program would present an extraordinary tax burden on property owners or would exceed allowable debt for the district.

This funding is intended for small districts where the school facility does not need to be replaced or require extensive modernization but does have significant building system deficiencies.

Plans for Pateros school site work include new bus drop-off and parking improvements, with related utility work. Also landscaping, entry improvements, elevator replacement, and miscellaneous interior renovations. 

Wiltse and Tonseth distributed a one-page handout identifying a dozen-plus upgrades:

  • Replace main electrical panel inaccessible and out of compliance in the building’s 1964 wing.
  • Upgrade the elevator to be ADA compliant.
  • Create an emergency rear exit in the band room.
  • Reconfigure the bus loop, upgrade parking lot drainage and underground utility hookups.
  • Redo elementary playground retaining wall, add ADA wheelchair to elementary wing.
  • Covers for freight entrance and coolers. Address kitchen entrance drainage issues.
  • Upgrade electrical in the 1964 wing.
  • Add lighting to the covered playground and parking lot.
  • Secure main building entryway for safety purposes.
  • Add dust collector, ventilation, and backdraft upgrades to the woodshop.
  • Update entry security system access control.
  • Add ADA compliant ramp to Career and Technical Education (CTE) restrooms.
  • Test, adjust, and balance HVAC.
  • Improve parking storm water management.

“If the bids come in low, we can do all the projects,” said Wiltse. “If the bids come in high, we will start taking a few of these off the list.”

Mike Maltais: 360-333-8483 or michael@ward.media

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