Asset Preservation Program

Director of Facilities Dave Wells updated the School Board in March about the District’s Asset Preservation Program for schools built new or new-in-lieu after January 1, 1994, when state construction assistance dollars have been utilized. This program is part of the district’s policy to ensure predictive and preventative repairs and maintenance of schools and to maintain safe and healthy school facilities. Read the report at https://go.boarddocs.com/wa/bethel/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=BZ6ML55B7E2A

Maintenance & Construction Update – Fall 2020

Our maintenance and construction crews have been hard at work this year keeping our schools and office buildings safe, beautiful, and ready for students when in-person learning resumes.

By now you’ve probably seen the progress we’re making on the new Katherine G. Johnson Elementary, but it was also a busy year for non-bond projects.

Crews have completed numerous upgrades at many of our schools and buildings, including roof replacements at both Cougar Mountain Middle School and our district headquarters. The play shed at Centennial Elementary also got a new roof, and roof repairs were done at Bethel High School and Elk Plain School of Choice.

Bethel High also received some much-needed seismic upgrades when crews installed diagonal bracing in the cafeteria and main gym to connect masonry walls with the wood frame. Pioneer Valley Elementary and Cedarcrest Middle also got some non-structural seismic upgrades.

Shining Mountain Elementary, Liberty Middle and Bethel Middle all got new portable classrooms this year, while Camas Prairie and Nelson Elementary got repairs done on their portables.

New fencing and gates were installed at North Star, Naches Trail and Kapowsin Elementary school, as well as Spanaway Lake High School.

Our crews painted classrooms inside Graham and Camas Prairie elementaries, and in common areas at Bethel Middle. They also made pavement improvements at Bethel and Frontier Middle schools, and on the tennis courts at Spanaway Lake High.

The front offices at Camas Prairie, Centennial, and Spanaway Middle were also remodeled, and Frontier Middle got new floor coverings.

Crews also replaced three heat pumps and installed a new chiller at Bethel High School.

Summer Projects 

When you think about technological innovation, names like Microsoft, Apple and Amazon probably come to mind. You most likely don’t put your local school district in that category, but Bethel’s Technology Department is trying to change that.

The department’s programmers recently unveiled a one-of-a-kind computer program that has the potential to revolutionize the way our district’s Transportation Department operates.

A little background first: Bethel’s Transportation Department is responsible for getting more than 10,000 students to and from school every day. It’s a big, diverse department that needs to run efficiently in order to get kids where they need to be on time.

Learn more about transportation here. 

Green Strides Tour

Representatives from the U.S. Department of Education recently toured our district to celebrate some of the great things we are doing when it comes to environmental sustainability, student health, and education. It was noted that all 27 Bethel Schools have been Energy Star certified.

The group's first stop was our Central Kitchen, which prepares 2,520,000 nutritious meals each year. They followed that with a visit to our Transportation facility to see our 42 propane buses. These are not only more environmentally friendly, but they are also quieter, making for a safer drive.

Finally, the group visited Spanaway Elementary to see the greenhouse, examples of the district's 34 rain gardens, and the first of our schools to be completely converted to LED bulbs, which provides an annual savings of 30,913 kWh.

Summer maintenance wrap-up

This was a busy summer for our Construction Department, as they took on and completed a wide variety of maintenance projects to keep our students and staff safe.

The following projects were all general maintenance projects. No money from the 2019 Bond was used to complete them.

Painting Projects

Exterior painting and repairs were completed at Frontier Middle, Pioneer Valley and Roy elementary schools. Interior painting was done at Camas Prairie and Graham elementary schools.

Roof Replacements

Roof replacements were completed at Centennial, Naches Trail, and all buildings at Roy Elementary. Portable roof repairs were also completed at Cedarcrest Middle, Bethel High, and Roy Elementary.

Seismic Improvements

This was the end of the first year of our Hazard Mitigation Projects. Focused on seismic improvements, these projects saw the anchoring of the roof to the walls in Bethel Middle’s auxiliary gym, the anchoring of the roof to the walls at Elk Plain K-8, and the anchoring of the masonry walls to the framing at the Operations Service Center.

14 New Portable Classrooms Added

• Bethel High School — two double dry portables
• Elk Plain — one double dry for SPED program
• Graham Elementary — one double dry portable
• Spanaway Lake High School — three double dry portables

Read more here.

Summer Projects 2019

This is shaping up to be another busy summer for our Maintenance Department. From major roof repairs to classroom painting projects, our buildings are sure to be busy with activity while students are enjoying the summer sunshine. Here's a list of some of the major projects that will be undertaken this summer.

• New boilers at Cougar Mountain Middle and North Star Elementary
• New portables at Spanaway Lake High School (3 double portables), Bethel High School (2 double portables), Graham Elementary (1 double portable) and Elk Plain School of Choice (1 double portable)
• Portable repairs at Bethel High (9 portables), Cedarcrest Middle 6 portables), and Roy Elementary (3 portables)
• Exterior painting and repairs at Frontier Middle, Pioneer Valley Elementary and Roy Elementary
• Interior painting at Camas Prairie and Graham elementaries
• Emergency Generator at Educational Service Center Building #2
• Dry sprinkler replacement system at Frontier Middle
• Roof replacements at Centennial, Naches Trail and Roy elementaries
• Resurfacing of tennis courts at Graham-Kapowsin High School
• Parking lot improvements at Bethel Middle and Roy Elementary

We will also begin the first year of our Hazard Mitigation Projects, which include seismic upgrades at Bethel Middle School (anchor roof to walls in the auxiliary gym), Elk Plain (anchor roof to walls), and the Operations Service Center (anchor masonry walls to framing).

All of these projects are separate from the 2019 Bond that will construct three brand new schools and renovate and expand other schools in the district. You can find updates on the bond-funded projects at: bethelsd.org/bondprojects

Asset Preservation 

To help protect taxpayer investments in our school buildings, all schools built new or new-in-lieu since 1994 are required to be inspected as part of the Asset Preservation Program. This program reviews:

• Foundations/Building Drainage

• Exterior Walls

• Interior Construction

• Plumbing

• HVAC

• Electrical

• Fire Protection

• Safety/Security

Read more here.