Local community members and parents attended a community workshop at Hamilton International Middle School on Nov. 4 to discuss renovation of the school and how construction will affect the temporary closure of Wallingford Playfield.
School construction
Construction for Hamilton is anticipated to begin in fall 2008. Funding for this renovation will be decided by voters in February 2007. If approved, the $490 million Building Excellence III Levy will fund a list of elementary, middle and high schools in need of renovation, including Hamilton.
The most recent remodel for the middle school took place in 1970. According to the school's annual report, Hamilton had 41 classrooms with a total of 724 students in October 2005.
The estimated cost of renovating Hamilton is $73 million, with a new gymnasium to be built in the back of the building and hard-surface play courts located on the roof of a new parking garage. As the school undergoes construction, students will relocate to nearly Lincoln High School for two years.
Mary Heim, whose sixth-grade daughter attends Hamilton, is looking forward to the renovation and technological improvements that will assist teachers in educating their students.
"The school has a great sense of diversity, tradition and culture through the variety of programs it offers. It's a wonderful opportunity for students to look at the world in a different way," Heim said.
Working the land
During the renovation, not only will local neighbors witness construction vehicles entering local streets, but Wallingford Playfield also will be affected. Currently, the playfield is utilized by several youth soccer teams, in addition to the 1,000 hours that Hamilton has for outdoor physical education.
Because of heavy amounts of rain and bad drainage during the fall and early spring, the conditions of the existing playfield are inadequate, say project managers.
Several landscape options were provided during the community workshop, including all-artificial turf, all-natural grass or a combination of the two with other physical aesthetics. Many individuals preferred an all-natural grass field.
Greg Flood, of the Friends of Wallingford Playfield group, wrote in an e-mail that he felt having two types of turf would reduce the flexibility of use for this open green space because it would likely not accommodate the activities bridged across two different surfaces.
"Flexible use is something the community has advocated for with [Seattle] Parks [and Recreation] since the field was created in 1971," he stated.
A well-th of questions
Besides the installation of a new natural or synthetic turf, the Seattle School District and contracting firms also discussed the closure of the playfield due to an underground-heating option for the middle school.
As part of Hamilton's renovation, an option for a new heating system would involve drilling wells under the Wallingford Playfield, which would decrease the amount of carbon dioxide produced at the school to 200 tons, which is half of the current emission rate. However, this would require the partial or entire closure of the Wallingford Playfield.
Although some supported the installation, some individuals were still uncertain because of the number of wells that may need to be installed. Others questioned whether other heating options were available that wouldn't require digging up the field.
No decision was ultimately made at the meeting about closing the Wallingford Playfield because community members said they hadn't received enough information.
The school district will schedule another meeting at the beginning of next year to revisit the issue, according to project manager Michael Romero.
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