As Covington Elementary School approaches its 50th anniversary this fall, the future of the property it sits on has yet to be decided though it has been much discussed since 2006.
Early in 2006 there were rumors that the property had been sold and would be the future site of Home Depot, which ended up located northeast of the elementary school in Covington Esplanade, in 2008.
Since then the building has begun to show its age but due to lack of funds, explained Dick Stedry, chief business officer for Kent School District, and the money generated from the last construction bond measure still needs to pay for a number of other projects.
“The status at this point in time is there is no change,” Stedry said. “We don’t have any funds to build a new school. Until funds are secured, there’s no construction.”
In other words, Covington Elementary students and staff will have to wait their turn, but eventually a new school will be built on a site on 256th Avenue Southeast.
On the list of projects that need to be completed before a new Covington Elementary is built are “a whole litany of things we’re doing right now,” Stedry said.
He rattled off a list of items that ranged from rebuilding the Kent-Meridian gym that includes adding a gymnastics area as well as remodeling science classrooms at Kent-Meridian to heating, ventilation and air conditioning system upgrades at a number of district buildings to additions at Scenic Hill and East Hill elementary schools.
Plus the district needs to figure out what to do with the old Panther Lake Elementary now that the new school has opened up on the northwest end of the district.
At some point the Kent School District Board of Directors will need to discuss how to fund building a new Covington Elementary, as well as whatever other projects are remaining that were funded by the last construction bond measure, then decide on when to go back to voters with a referendum, Stedry said, as well as how much the district will need.
“The only way the district is going to get funding for it is through a bond referendum,” Stedry said. “The discussion will probably take place some time this year, but, when to go out for it is a discussion that we’ve not yet had.”
And in the meantime, Covington city officials are waiting patiently for the district to move forward on its plans, because the elementary school has been on the radar for redevelopment since early 2006.
Derek Matheson, Covington city manager, wrote in an email that the city’s comprehensive plan — a blue print that guides development — has a very distinct vision for the Covington Elementary property.
“Covington’s comprehensive plan envisions a town center on the Terramar property just south of 272nd, the Ashton property just south of that, and the school property,” Matheson wrote. “The plan specifically envisions a public plaza and civic buildings on the school property.”
City staff and district officials have discussed the future of the Covington Elementary site.
“Dr. Stedry and I have had preliminary conversations about the city and district entering into an agreement whereby the district would give the city a ‘right of first refusal’ to purchase the school property if and when the district chooses to sell it,” Matheson wrote. “As a first step, we’ve talked about inviting city staff to a future school board meeting to give the board an overview of the city’s town center vision and how the school property fits into it.”
For now, though, plans for Covington Elementary remain lower on the list of projects that need to be completed.
And that won’t interrupt plans to celebrate one thing that’s certain — the school’s 50th birthday.
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