FOLLOWUP: Two answers for questions about EC Hughes-Roxhill move

We should know soon who will get Seattle Public Schools‘ ~$9 million contract to modernize EC Hughes Elementary (7740 34th SW) before it becomes the new home of Roxhill Elementary in a year and a half: Bids for the project are due next week (March 15th, per the district website, delayed from the original deadline of today).

In the meantime, we followed up on two questions that emerged again when the Roxhill PTSA met at, and toured, EC Hughes last month (WSB coverage here).

Both answers were sought and provided via SPS spokesperson Tom Redman. The shortest one – what will happen to Roxhill after the move? “We have not yet determined the future use of the Roxhill School building.”

Second – we asked about the process for determining what EC Hughes will be called when the Roxhill program is there (or whether it had already been determined):

We will address the naming issue in the near future. A good example is the recent change of the Schmitz Park Elementary program name to Genesee Hill Elementary, and thus, taking the name of the building to which the program moved. As with Genesee Hill, Superintendent Nyland will make the final decision after conferring with the Roxhill principal and the Executive Director of Schools for the West Seattle region.

According to the SPS history of EC Hughes, it was in operation as an elementary until 1989. It then became a surplus/interim site, temporary home to several schools during construction/renovation projects. Independent Westside School (WSB sponsor) leased it for five years until moving into its own permanent home in Arbor Heights in fall 2015.

9 Replies to "FOLLOWUP: Two answers for questions about EC Hughes-Roxhill move"

  • dsa March 9, 2017 (3:58 pm)

    They can call it anything they want, but the historical part of the designation can’t be covered up can it?  I mean right over the front door it says “E C Hughes”.

    • WSB March 9, 2017 (4:05 pm)

      No, that’s landmark-protected (see for example Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, with Frank B. Cooper School still visible out front); but the question that was asked was, for example, whether it would be “Roxhill at EC Hughes,” perhaps.

      • dsa March 9, 2017 (9:51 pm)

        Thank you,  You said clearly what I failed at.

  • Fiona@SP March 9, 2017 (4:15 pm)

    Schmitz Park put together a committee of stakeholders, including neighbors, staff, and parents, some of which were on the Design Committee.  They went through a lengthy process of vetting names, and then brought 4 final choices to the staff at SP.  THEN, they sent a couple of recommendations to the district, and Genesee Hill was at the top.  It took all that to come full circle, but it wasn’t just that they took the old name.  Maybe it didn’t have to be that involved, but everyone was heard in the process, and the opportunity for something different was examined.  Tom believes that once a building has an established name, the community within should be named the same, and his answer to the blog reflects same.  I do understand that Dr. Nyland has the final say.

  • anonyme March 9, 2017 (4:49 pm)

    I’m sure Summit would love to buy the old Roxhill.  They’ve already got lots of capital, but they’ll really be raking it in once they’ve got the full green light to rape taxpayers via vouchers.

  • kittyno March 9, 2017 (5:19 pm)

    9 million seems like a lowball estimate if modernizing includes earthquake proofing.  Am I crazy to think this?  The school is currently brick/mortar and concrete, with who knows what in the foundation. That could be a massive amount of retrofitting.  And even if they tear it down to a shell, it still seems low??  I wish the schools would break the number down a bit about how they expect to spend that amount.  Anyone know the cost of a new building that size?  Just a rough estimate.  

    • WSB March 9, 2017 (6:07 pm)

      We have published in previous stories quite copious amounts of information about what they are doing. In addition, you can read the summary in the call for bids, linked in the story above (click the link-shaded text “bids for the project”). They are not “tearing it down to the shell.” It’s had some seismic work already (needed some upgrades before Westside occupied it in 2010). The new Arbor Heights – with more capacity; Hughes may eventually be expanded – was budgeted at $42 million.

  • Fauntleroyfairy March 9, 2017 (11:49 pm)

    Roxhill will probably end up being torn down.  The city has long range plans for turning that whole area along Roxbury into a major transit hub.

    • WSB March 10, 2017 (12:10 am)

      Seattle Public Schools generally does not yield its property these days, given the capacity crunch.

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