Parent concerns prompt improvements at Bellingham playground ahead of planned school rebuild
Carl Cozier Elementary School in Bellingham will likely see improvements to its playground after parents expressed concerns about its condition and limitations.
The elementary school has recently come under scrutiny regarding the building’s facilities and safety in a busy area where homelessness and drug use continue to be a growing concern.
The limitations of the school’s playground have been part of parent discussions as well, especially as other schools in the Bellingham Public School District have been rebuilt or received updated inclusive playgrounds.
“These new playgrounds are centering around Bellingham School’s Bellingham Promise and highlighting inclusion and equity while Carl Cozier is forgotten,” said Carl Cozier parent Jeremy Kiniry in an email to The Bellingham Herald.
A range of possibilities
The district held a meeting for parents on Oct. 17 to discuss the timeline for rebuilding Carl Cozier and possible options for adding updated, temporary equipment to the elementary school’s playground until the rebuild takes place.
Several possibilities were outlined including play structures with slides, a climbing tower and a spinning wheel. At the end of the meeting, parents agreed to form a work group with the district and decide on next steps.
Specific equipment costs have not yet been determined and will be dependent on the outcome of the work group’s research and recommendations, according to the district.
“We appreciate the advocacy of members of the Carl Cozier community, and our district and Carl Cozier leadership look forward to engaging in the work group process to determine next steps,” Bellingham Public Schools spokesperson Dana Smith said in a statement to the Herald.
The new equipment could be installed as early as spring break but the district said installation would more likely take place this summer.
A timeline for rebuilding
Carl Cozier was built in 1951 and its current playground is small with minimal play equipment. It is one of three schools, along with Columbia Elementary and Roosevelt Elementary, that is planned to be rebuilt in the next five to 10 years.
The district said it appreciates parent concerns and is working to make fixes. Still, the district has to be strategic with spending and an impending rebuild of the school.
“We’re balancing doing major investments,” District Superintendent Dr. Greg Baker told parents at the Tuesday meeting. “We don’t want to put a whole lot of money in if this building is going to be torn down in five years.”
Parents told The Herald they understand the realities of monetary limitations but they want to know the district is moving in the right direction with rebuilding the school and prioritizing updated facilities.
“We can’t snap our fingers and get a new school. And that’s not our expectation,” said Carl Cozier parent Jeremy Kiniry in an interview with The Herald.
Christopher Mandell is another parent of a student at Carl Cozier who was at the Tuesday meeting. He said the playground feels more like a secondary issue for his family, with the main priority being a new facility.
“For us, yes, some improvements and enhancements to the playground make a lot of sense. But we showed up to that meeting much more interested in hearing what the plan was for redoing the school in a timely manner,” Mandell said.
Mandell said he appreciated the response from the district and he feels better about district spending decisions after hearing the proposed timeline for rebuilding the school.
“As long as there is a foreseeable path to replacing that building, I would say they should be prudent about how much they invest it, not do too much and not spend our money on that. Spend our money on the path toward a new facility,” Mandell said.
Bonds make new facilities a reality
Carl Cozier’s rebuild is dependent on the funding that would come with the passage of another bond measure that needs to be approved by Bellingham voters. When it will be brought forward has not yet been determined, according to the district.
The voters passed a bond in 2022 that provides for the construction of Elementary School 15 on the north end of Bellingham and the start of planning rebuilds for Columbia, Carl Cozier and Roosevelt Elementary Schools.
Elementary School 15 will cost about $38 million to build and is expected to hold about 450 students in grades pre-kindergarten to fifth grade. Students from the other three elementary schools will be relocated to Elementary School 15 while the other sites are being rebuilt.
