Voters OKed a $155 million bond for Bellingham schools. This is where most is being spent
Construction has started on a $31 million project to build a new Sunnyland Elementary School to replace a 67-year-old building and create space for more students.
The new school is expected to be ready for occupation in August 2022.
Students will continue to go to school in the existing Sunnyland while the new school is being built.
The existing school will be demolished in July 2022, according to Bellingham Public Schools.
A $155 million bond that voters approved in 2018 is paying for the project.
The biggest portion of the bond, or $89 million, is being used to replace the existing Sunnyland building as well as Alderwood and Parkview elementary schools with bigger modern buildings — enough to hold 400 to 450 students each.
Enrollment at each school is about 300, the school district said in a previous Bellingham Herald article.
Sunnyland was built in 1954, Alderwood in 1956 and Parkview in 1957.
The schools are being replaced because they don’t meet standards for energy efficiency or technology and because of their proximity to growth in north Bellingham, district officials have said.
Construction on Alderwood and Parkview started in 2020. Those two schools should be done in time for the next school year, when the state’s K-12 students are expected to return for full-time in-person instruction, with COVID-19 safety measures in place.
“We are so excited to have our new Alderwood and Parkview elementaries nearing completion and ready to open for fall 2021, and we expect to be just as excited to open the new Sunnyland in fall 2022,” said Dana Smith, spokesperson for the Bellingham school district.
“These replacement school projects are made possible by our community’s support for our February 2018 bond, and we are grateful for the opportunity to build new schools that are up-to-date and ready for the next generations of learners,” Smith said to The Bellingham Herald.
The new Sunnyland will be nearly 54% larger at 58,000 square feet, with room for 450 students.
The existing school is 31,200 square feet.
The new Sunnyland will be a state-of-the building. It will be two stories and will incorporate sustainability, natural lighting and enhanced security, according to school principal Amy Berreth.
Everett-based Dykeman Architects designed the new Sunnyland.
“Sunnyland Elementary School is going to be a community hub which reflects the diversity and inclusivity of its neighborhood,” says Zachary Ham, associate principal of Dykeman Architects.
Bellingham-based Dawson Construction is the general contractor for the project.
This story was originally published June 15, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
