JOYCE — The problem with Crescent School District buildings’ high risk of failure during an earthquake has been known longer than any of the students who attend its K-12 campus have been alive — and not a few of the teachers and staff as well.
To continue to ignore this risk puts the lives of everyone who attends and works at the campus at risk, said Jim Buck, the former state representative and volunteer at the forefront of finding a solution.
As residents attending a meeting at the Crescent Grange on Monday learned, the Crescent School District shares the problem of old and aging buildings that are vulnerable to collapse during a seismic event with many other districts around the North Olympic Peninsula and the state.
Washington has known about the poor physical condition of its schools since 1986, Buck said.
A state Department of Natural Resources’ seismic school safety study released in June 2021 determined that 561 school buildings out of those selected for study around the state were structurally deficient.
The study gave each of the failing schools a one out of a five-star rating that represented its “expected performance as a whole would lead to multiple or widespread conditions known to be associated with earthquake-related collapse resulting in injury, entrapment or death.”
“They should just say, ‘The buildings are going to collapse and students and teachers are going to die,’” Buck said. “And that is what’s going to happen.”
Crescent School District was not included in the DNR study, and it is not waiting for “the big one” to test the resilience of its buildings.
Its mitigation planning team — Buck and his wife, Donna; CSD facility and transportation supervisor Mike Hazelett; CSD school board member Sandy Middleton; CSD teacher Katy Middlestead; District 4 Fire Commissioner Bruce Leiper; and community members Steve Singhose and Brian Hays — has nearly completed a Hazard Assessment and Mitigation Plan it will use to tap into the $100 million school seismic retrofit and replacement funding the Legislature approved as part of a supplementary state construction budget this spring.
The goal is to have the plan completed and ready to send to the Washington Emergency Management Division (EMD) and FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) for approval by Sept. 30 so the district is “first in line for the funds,” Buck said.
“Right now, we are about 95 percent done,” Buck said. “We need to update the ICOS (Information and Condition of Schools) data for OSPI (Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction), polish things up and include any feedback from the community.”
Demonstrating committed and continuous community involvement is an essential condition of getting the mitigation plan approved, Buck said.
In addition to Monday’s meeting, the team will make a presentation to the Crescent Grange and Joyce Bible Church on Aug. 5, and it may hold additional public meetings if there is interest, Buck said.
Team members are encouraging the community to send emails and letters with their comments, questions and any criticisms. The feedback will be considered and, if applicable, incorporated into the plan, which is posted on the school district website at www.csd313.org.
“This has to be a community involvement plan or they (EMD and FEMA) won’t even look at it,” Buck said.
Emil Moilanen, who taught science and math in the Crescent School District for 36 years, said he supports the plan.
“It is incumbent on us that our district make school facilities safe,” Moilanen said. “The whole community benefits when we have a disaster plan.”
Resident Bonnie Hansen said she was unfamiliar with the plan before coming to the meeting, but she was interested in the future of the school where her children attended.
“I will make sure to share this information with my neighbors and encourage them to get involved,” Hansen said. “I appreciate that they want community input. It’s important that we do this project.”
About six years ago, the Crescent School District received a grant from OSPI to hire an engineering firm to provide an estimate of the useful life of some of its buildings. It has continually worked to upgrade its facilities, such as installing new locks on doors and other enhanced security measures.
When it comes to seismic safety upgrades, said Dave Bingham, the Crescent School District superintendent, $100 million isn’t very much — particularly when there are so many small, geographically unsafe school districts around the state.
Whatever the Crescent School District gets, it will consider “seed money,” he said.
“The grant will help us assess the buildings and identify next steps for plugging into federal funds,” he said. “All the work for retrofit and replacement can’t be done solely on the backs of taxpayers. It’s going to take state and federal funding.”
Buck reminded the meeting attendees: “This is not going to happen unless you make it happen. It’s not going to get any cheaper. It’s getting more expensive by the minute.”
Comments about and suggestions for the Crescent School District Hazard Assessment and Mitigation Plan can be sent to Crescent School District, 50350 WA-112, Port Angeles, WA 98363 or mitigation@csd313.org. The phone number is 360-928-3311.
The Hazard Assessment and Mitigation Plan can be found on the district’s website at https://www.csd313.org.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.