District considers new home for Covington Elementary
In the midst of Covington’s building boom, Kent School District officials are looking to sell Covington Elementary School on Wax Road to raise money to build a new campus farther from businesses and closer to students.
The 16-acre school property, which is zoned for commercial use, is valued at $9 million to $10 million, said Fred High, assistant superintendent of business services for the district.
Selling the property would pay half the cost of building a new school, district officials said.
The district has no plans to ask voters for money to pay for the new school. Money from the state and grants would cover the rest of the estimated $20 million to build the school, High said.
“It’s trading an old school for a brand new school,” High said. “Our community would get a brand new school without seeing new taxes.”
Covington Elementary was built in 1961, when the area was still rural.
Over the years, development has encroached on the property, and district officials say the area is now too busy for a school.
“The area has noise, congestion and its far from residential,” High said. “This is the reason you don’t want schools in a commercial zone.”
The new Covington Elementary likely would be built on a district-owned parcel of land near Kentwood High School, about a mile and half from the current elementary school.
The move could lead to a small boundary change.
Three-way discussions between the district, Ashton Capital Corp. and the city began earlier this year, but no plans have been finalized.
Ashton Capital owns a 20-acre property adjacent to Covington Elementary on Wax Road and pieces of property throughout the city, including Covington Place, home of Covington City Hall.
City Manager Derek Matheson said the developer would merge the two Wax Road properties to create a 36-acre site for retail, restaurants and entertainment. The city has said it would build a park or plaza on the site.
Traffic and congestion surrounding the school has become unbearable, parents and school officials say, and few students walk because of safety concerns along the road.
High said he is cautiously optimistic that all three parties could reach a decision by January, the deadline district officials have set if a new school is to be ready for the 2009-2010 school year.
Karen Johnson: 253-234-8605 or karenjohnson@seattletimes.com