Demolition could be future of old Jefferson Elementary School

It looks like a wrecking ball rather than a renovation crew could be the future of Richland’s Jefferson Elementary School.

The new Jefferson isn’t expected to open until 2018, and students will continue to attend classes in the current building until construction is complete.

The new school, to be built on open ground on the same property, could look like the two-story structures that have replaced the old Sacajawea and Lewis & Clark elementary schools, though the school board has yet to vote on a final design.

Board members Tuesday night seemingly ruled out using the Jefferson building, once it becomes vacant, as the future home of the district’s administrative offices, citing higher-than-expected renovation costs.

Board President Rick Jansons said the current school building’s days are likely numbered.

“Demolition is the most likely option,” he said.

The older 1950s annex building at Jefferson was to be replaced as part of the $98 million bond approved by voters in February 2013. The board ended up delaying that project in order to fully replace the annex and the main school building.

The idea of district staff using the 35,000-square-foot structure, built in 1982, had looked promising. It could easily fit in all of the staff from the current 10,000-square-foot administration building, originally built as a grocery store in the 1940s, officials said.

Jefferson also could have housed the district’s teaching and learning department and special programs, which operate in separate or leased space. The gym could provide a much larger venue for school board meetings, which can be cramped in the boardroom.

Board member Gordon Comfort said the visibility of the Jefferson site from George Washington Way would make the district’s offices more accessible.

But architect Brian Johnson, who has consulted for the district on past construction projects, told the board in a recent meeting that the building is not code compliant, and the mechanical and electrical systems would need to be revamped.

It also has relatively few windows, and modern office environments are typically designed to use ample natural light, Johnson said. The exterior is composed of shear walls, making window installation structurally difficult and expensive.

There’s also the issue of money — the board has identified some to use for a new administrative building, but would still need more.

The renovations would cost an estimated $4.5 million, but Jansons said that doesn’t include a needed roof replacement or any window installations. The total could reach more than $7 million — the same as the projected cost of a new building.

The board has since decided to look at building new administrative offices somewhere at the current location on Snow Avenue or on other district land.

This story was originally published February 26, 2016 at 7:13 PM with the headline "Demolition could be future of old Jefferson Elementary School."