Yakima district outlines $160M-plus bond to rebuild Hoover and Garfield; officials highlight tax impact and construction logistics
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Summary
Finance staff outlined bond proposals for rebuilding Hoover (about $85.2 million) and Garfield (about $83 million), reviewed renderings and a phased construction timeline, and gave tax-impact examples (about 80¢ per $1,000 assessed value). Board members raised community concerns about turf/stadium costs and access; the board later moved to executive session to evaluate a public employee.
Jake Cooper, the district finance presenter, told the Yakima School District board on March 2 that the proposed bond ballot for April 28, 2026 includes large facility projects with the oldest schools — Hoover and Garfield — prioritized for rebuilds. "Hoover has a total project budget of just over 85,200,000.0 and Garfield just under 83," Cooper said while showing architect renderings.
Cooper explained the bond timeline and voter thresholds: the election is April 28, 2026, and the district needs a 60 percent approval rate plus 40 percent validation. He noted recent low turnout in general elections and urged robust outreach; as an example, he said last general election turnout was under 10,000 voters, which meant roughly 4,000 voters are needed for validation.
On design and site constraints, Cooper said Garfield is a small urban site (about 5.5 acres) that will likely require a multistory elementary design to fit programmatic needs, while Hoover's site is closer to 10–11 acres and could accommodate on-site phased construction. He explained likely permitting and sequencing: Hoover would lead, with Garfield following in a later tranche to manage debt issuance and construction logistics.
Cooper provided tax-impact examples to illustrate homeowner effects: using a rough rate of 80¢ per $1,000 assessed value, he said a $100,000 assessed-value property would pay roughly $80 a year and a $500,000 property about $400 a year. He noted the district provides materials for renters to understand potential knock-on effects from landlords.
Board members asked about how students would be accommodated during construction and about costs tied to athletic-field turf and track resurfacing. Cooper said turf replacement and track resurfacing are expensive (he cited roughly $1,000,000 for turf replacement at a large stadium) and discussed balancing community access with maintenance longevity. He said multiuse community facilities like Semple Stadium provide economic benefit for the city but that turf and track useful life is finite (often 8–15 years depending on usage).
Cooper showed artist renderings by Cornerstone Architects and described design features that incorporate ADA-accessible self-contained special-education classrooms, Hoyer-lift accommodations and layouts that prioritize safe entry/exit and parent/bus drop-off.
After discussion and questions, the board proceeded later in the meeting to an executive session; before adjourning, board members had not taken a final vote on placing the bond on the ballot beyond the presented timeline and outreach plan.