More on Seabeck School Property
I wrote a previous (initial) blog entry about Monday’s hearing before the Central Kitsap School Board regarding the Seabeck Elementary School property. I wanted to use this blog entry to include some of the comments given to the board, that didn’t make my story, or that entry. Also, I wanted to include comments from Port of Bremerton commissioner Bill Mahan and Central Kitsap Commissioner Josh Brown that were made at the Seabeck Neighbors meeting in November.
While there were more people in attendance than those who spoke, only nine people offered their opinion on what the district should do with the land. Here’s some of what was said:
“We are passionate about the school,” said Darcy Lund, whose children attended Seabeck Elementary before it closed. “It has been the heart of the community for a very long time and to see that site go away would be disheartening for a lot of people.”
“Our goal is to keep this property in public use,” said Loanna Day, the leader of the Seabeck group hoping to use the site as a community gathering place for Seabeck residents. “We would like to encourage the school board to do all they can within the law to ensure this property stays in the community for public use.”
Toni Magee, another member of the Seabeck Neighbors group echoed the above comments and suggested exploring the placement of continuing education-type program at the school, to offer training to people looking to expand their education.
“If we put our hearts and our thinking and our creativity together there will be a way to save this property,” she said.
Barbie Mills, co-owner of Barbie’s Cafe and the Seabeck General Store with her husband Billy, told the board through her position as the cafe owner she has heard from hundreds in the community who want the school site to stay in the public’s hands.
Chuck Kraining, executive director of the Seabeck Conference Center, has offered the use of his facilities to the community as a place to meet when he can, but he told the school board that conference center guests will always receive priority over community members.
He also told the board the conference center had no interest in purchasing any of the school property, joking he had enough old buildings to repair at his own site.
At the Seabeck Neighbors November meeting, members talked with CK commissioner Brown and Bremerton port commissioner Mahan. The bulk of the meeting was about what the next steps for the group should be, and realistically could the port or county acquire any of the land.
“If the port and county are going to be involved in this, it has to be a realistic venture,” Mahan told the group. “Are we going to accomplish a community center? I don’t think so. Is that in the cards later? Possibly. I think between now and when the school district finally completes its process in December, we’ve got to decide what can we really do and is that going to be good enough for the community.”
With Michael Reeves’ announcement that he’d like to purchase a small parcel from the district and donate a portion of it to the public, the group is excited, but plans to continue its wait and see approach before it takes its next step.
Loanna Day called Reeves’ announcement a “wild dream” that has “presented an element of possibility” for the community. We’ll see what happens next.
November 20th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
What ARE the costs to purchase the different properties?
“Michael Reeves’ announcement that he’d like to purchase a small parcel from the district and donate a portion of it to the public…”
What price are they looking at for the possible purchase?
Maybe other people would be willing and able to do the same thing…what is the cost to them?
November 20th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
The district isn’t revealing all of its appraisal information, but here’s what I’ve been told:
Two of the three parcels, which make up 10.7 acres and hold the baseball field and school buildings, are appraised around $2.7 million. If the buildings are demolished before the district sells the land, the district has to cover the demolition costs, which are just over $500,000. The third parcel which is around 3 acres is estimated to be around $250,000.
There are more numbers involved in all of this, and likely more ways to look at the land, but the district is only revealing this information. They, by law, can restrict the information released to the public because they don’t want to hurt the potential sale of the land they own.
November 20th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Thank you!
November 21st, 2008 at 10:24 pm
RE Seabeck School and Marina
Thank you for publishing notes and keeping up on Seabeck happenings.
I am very interested in what is going on there. I own the property at 7640 Seabeck Holly Road. My property is 7.5 Acres. It boarders the “Tree” portion of the School property 2+ acres. The metal gate that people go around to get to the Cemetery is on my property. One of my frustrations with the school district’s plans is that no one has really been willing to say if the property will be for sale and for how much. The tax value for the lot ajacent to mine is listed as about $90,000, but it is Zoned rural residential with a minimum lot size of 5 acres to build. How is it that the county values the land at for less than $100,000 and renderes it unbuildable by its own zoning, yet the school district thinks they should sell it for $250,000? My property has the same zoning but there is already one house on it, so it is fully developed according to the provisions of the growth management act.
I am in favor of the school remaining in public property. Nobody has said what the district plans to do with the trees. The thought of someone clearcutting next door sickens me.
Thanks for keeping us up to date.
Craig