School Board gives final OK to Westside School lease for Hughes

As first reported here March 28, independent Westside School is moving into the old EC Hughes building in Sunrise Heights this fall – and the move is REALLY official now that the Seattle School Board has given its final approval to the lease, with a vote at last night’s board meeting. According to school district documents (read them here), it’s a 10-year lease, starting at $45,000 a year for the first three years – with Westside responsible for operation and maintenance costs (aside from major systems); the district expects to save about $50,000 a year for Hughes and each of two other buildings elsewhere in the city that it’s now going to lease out. The district also had requested proposals for two of its other “closed” facilities in West Seattle, Genesee Hill and Fairmount Park elementaries, but nobody submitted a proposal; Westside, which has been housed in a former Highline Public Schools facility, was the only entity to seek a lease for Hughes. They’re planning to open in their new home this fall.

8 Replies to "School Board gives final OK to Westside School lease for Hughes"

  • Donn May 6, 2010 (9:58 am)

    I hope the school is safe. I read that this building requires $7 million in earthquake upgrades.

  • DavidF May 6, 2010 (10:38 am)

    Three cheers for Westside!!!

  • CurlyQ May 6, 2010 (11:41 am)

    Donn, my understanding is that EC Hughes was used as interim school space by Seattle Schools as recently as two years ago. Earthquake retrofitting was done in 1999, and since it is a lease and not a sale, the SSD will only allow occupancy as long as the building meets all of their own safety requirements. I’m curious where you heard the “$7 million” rumor!

  • Silly Goose May 6, 2010 (11:42 am)

    Congrats to Westside for growing enough to need space like this and also for reviving this beautiful ole school. I am so thrilled to see it used again!! KUDO’S West Side School

  • bwilson May 6, 2010 (11:47 am)

    Really great news for the neighborhood. Thanks Westside! This is great news for Explorer West too. Here’s hoping that this will give them the opportunity for a badly needed expansion.

  • Spana May 6, 2010 (1:50 pm)

    Is Explorer West expanding now?

  • Donn May 6, 2010 (8:05 pm)

    @CurlyQ See: http://www.seattleschools.org/area/cac/facilityassessmentreport.pdf – Sorry on the accurracy of specific $’s $5.3 million on back repair work, of which approximately $1 million is needed for seismic upgrades – see: http://www.seattleschools.org/area/facilities/2009BuildingCondition/seismic/hughes.pdf

  • MGJ May 7, 2010 (11:12 am)

    Westside met with SPS, Meng Strazzara (hired by SPS for facility assessments/expense estimates) and PCS, the structural engineers, during its due diligence. While Hughes is in desperate need of some TLC on the exterior and grounds, as well as paint, cleaning and some plumbing upgrades to the interior, SPS has done a good job maintaining the structure, roof, mechanical, and life-safety elements of the building. It’s not new and fancy, but Westside is satisfied that it’ll be a great space for its growing elementary school program and is willing to invest the time, elbow grease and its limited financial resources to make Hughes a vibrant part of the neighborhood once again. Please come visit next Fall! — Mollie Jensen, Westside Board President

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