Bond Project Update: January 2024

Thank you, voters!

New Bethel High School will break ground this March!

Construction on the New Bethel High School will finally break ground on March 26, 2024. During the past 15 years, there have been enough hurdles, twists, turns and barriers to building to fill a novel.

“We actually started looking for a school site in 2007 and we’re unable to find any location within the Urban Growth Boundary as required by the Growth Management Act,” said Superintendent Tom Seigel. “The land purchased was the only property in the school district area that was available and of the size needed.”

Our School Board approved the purchase of land from both Linda Crate and Rainier View Christian Church. District leaders immediately began working with Rainier View on a Comprehensive Plan Amendment application to have the property redesignated from Rural Farm to R-10.

The Pierce County Council approved a plan to build a high school on the land in 2010, but complaints filed with the state’s Growth Management Act Hearing Board in 2011 delayed the project once again.

After years of back and forth, the project found its way to the Governor’s desk, where Jay Inslee signed a bill into law in 2017 that allowed Bethel to build a school on the site.

Now, all that was left was for local voters to approve a school construction bond. When the bond passed in 2019, the district’s planning and construction teams immediately began work on the new school.

Then, just as plans were being made to construct the school, updates to the Pierce County Stormwater Manual delayed the project once again. The updates resulted in development standards that were different from when the District originally purchased the property in 2009.

Following a process that took more than a year and a half, a stormwater model was developed for the complex hydrogeologic system under the future high school site. This process also involved purchasing more land from Rainier View Christian Church for additional stormwater capacity.

A Conditional Use Permit was submitted in 2023 to Pierce County. The Conditional Use Permit was reviewed by Pierce County staff, the Graham Land Use Advisory Council, and the Pierce County Hearing Examiner. Both meetings included public comment, plus time for appeals — of which there were none.

On December 12, 2023, our School Board authorized the administration to move forward with advertising bid proposals related to the New Bethel High School project, and now, it is finally time to break ground on a project 17 years in the making.

In keeping with the wishes of the Crate family, who some of the land was purchased from, a plan to build a memorial plaza in honor of Casey Crate will be part of the New Bethel High School campus.

YOU ARE INVITED

A Community Meeting about the New Bethel High School project will be held on March 12th at 5:30 p.m. at Bethel High School.

The groundbreaking for the New Bethel High School will be held on March 26, 2024 at 6 p.m. Parking will be at Rainier View Christian Church on 224th.

Expedition Elementary

Construction crews are making amazing progress on our newest bond-funded school, Expedition Elementary. The 66,000-square-foot building, which will be located in the Lipoma Firs Community, will house about 500 students in 27 general classrooms and various shared spaces when it opens this fall.

Evergreen Elementary Expansion

The much needed expansion of Evergreen Elementary is now in permitting. This project will add 10,000 square feet to the school, that will include eight additional classrooms and a new commons. The team is planning for prep work to start this spring.

The main part of the construction will take place once school gets out for the summer. The old Naches Trail Elementary will become home to the Evergreen Elementary staff and students for the 2024/25 school year while the renovation and expansion of their school takes place.

You can learn more about this project at the upcoming Community Meeting:

Evergreen Elementary Community Meeting
Date: Feb 27, 2024
Place: Evergreen Elementary Gym
Time: 5:30 p.m.

Cedarcrest Middle School

We’re excited to announce that we have completed the selection process for the Cedardrest Middle School Renovation & Expansion project. The district recommended and the School Board approved BCRA, Inc. of Tacoma to perform the architectural services.

Our construction team recently conducted a Feasibility Study for the project to better realize the options available to them before starting the design work. This study will help them assess the needs and budget parameters, so we don’t run into any issues along the way.

Projects not funded by the 2019 Bond

Evergreen building at the Pierce County Skills Center

The Evergreen building at the Pierce County Skills Center is being funded through a state grant through OSPI. The new building will house the Construction Trades and Fire Science programs. Construction is now underway, with an anticipated completion this fall.

Facility Advisory Committee Update

Four students from the Superintendent’s Student Leadership Council made their voices heard at the January Facility Advisory Committee meeting. Representing our four brick and mortar high schools, the students spoke out about how safety, security, athletics, extra-curricular activities, and overcrowding were impacting their educational journey, both positively and negatively.

The Facility Advisory Committee is currently in the process of examining the current state of our district facilities and planning for future improvements, expansions and new schools. Hearing from students was eye opening for many of the members.

The Committee is made up of parents, community members, business owners, school and district staff, as well as School Board members. Following the meeting, the four students were also invited to join as permanent members, ensuring they have a voice in the future of the district.

This meeting also focused on a recent population and growth study that showed predicted future growth for Bethel. Looking at the projections, our district is forecasted to grow between 600 to 3,000 more students in the next 8 years. That’s due in part to zoning changes that will bring more large scale, high density apartment buildings along Pacific Avenue, as well as along 176th.

The committee will continue to meet monthly, and plans to bring their recommendations to the School Board this summer.