Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Naming topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board discusses renaming Stevens site as new middle school nears construction
Summary
The Port Angeles School District board heard a recommendation to consider renaming the Stevens site after the new middle school design and cost analysis showed building new saved $4–5 million versus renovating. The board asked staff to continue public engagement and return with discussion in July.
Superintendent Marty Brewer told the Port Angeles School District Board of Directors on June 12 that the committee formed to consider a name change for the Stevens site had narrowed a long list to four options and that this was a discussion item, not an action item.
Brewer said he asked the Port Angeles Capital Advisory Committee (PACAC) to review name options because that committee has worked on the Stevens project’s design for several years. “There’s no decision to be made this evening. This is a consideration,” he said.
Why it matters: the district is replacing the existing Stevens building and found building a new facility would save taxpayers about $4 million to $5 million compared with renovating the 1950s structure, Brewer said. The timing of a new facility prompted the naming conversation: “This gives you the opportunity to consider a name change for a new building that will be on the same site as Stevens,” he said.
Brewer outlined four committee recommendations: Hurricane Ridge Middle School, Riverstone Middle School, Elwha River Middle School and the straightforward Port Angeles Middle School. He said the committee discussed cultural and geographic connections for each option, and noted tribal consultation would be necessary if the board pursued the Elwha River name because of the river’s cultural significance.
On Hurricane Ridge, Brewer said the committee found it “a landmark that’s deeply associated to our region,” visible from the community and “culturally relevant to the Clallam people.” For Elwha River, Brewer advised direct tribal partnership: “If we were to go this route, my recommendation to the board would be to work through the tribe, and I believe you would have to have tribal approval to name it.”
Public comment included Steve Holly, who said he favored Hurricane Ridge and suggested a local Olympic marmot as a mascot if the board chose that name.
Board response and next steps: Brewer recommended the board continue community engagement and return to the topic at the July meeting for further discussion, with a possible decision in August so the name can be finalized in time for the project’s design and bid documents. He reminded the board that the superintendent’s role under policy 6970 is to convene a committee and make a recommendation; the board retains final authority.
No formal action to rename the facility was taken at the June 12 meeting.
