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Wenatchee School district is considering acquiring the former Federal Building.
The school district is considering acquiring the former Wenatchee Federal Building for use as a high school. The U.S. Department of Education awards surplus federal real estate to education institutions, and a grants-in-aid program offers discounts from 40 – 100 percent of fair market value. The district would need to commit to using the building for education programs, and is considering using the building as a high school with a possible STEAM focus.
The building is currently owned by the General Services Administration (GSA) and was home to the U.S Postal Service until June 2015. The building is 43-year-old and 104,000-square-feet, 70,000 of which is usable for classrooms, offices, and other educational spaces.
When Superintendent Brian Flones became aware that the building was available, he contacted the Department of Education and expressed an interest. The idea was discussed at the School Board meeting on August 23, 2016. The deadline for application is October 1, 2016.
The district hired architect Tom Bassett to evaluate the building for educational purposes. Bassett took a team of consultants and examined the building and grounds. Bassett outlined a number of advantages and challenges the building presented. “It is a wonderful opportunity. It’s a very nice building,” Bassett told the Board. “The Department of Education expressed a desire for us to have the building,”
School board members discussed the impact the move might have on modernizing Wenatchee High School.
“There’s a lot more information we need to gather to get definitive costs,” said David Zeitlin, Senior Project Manager of Hill International, who is managing the construction at Lincoln and Washington. “It’s a substantial undertaking.”
“We really want to make sure we’re doing the right thing, here,” said Flones, who said the idea will be studied by the Board and by the District Facilities Committee, that is studying options to modernize and alleviate overcrowding at Wenatchee High School.