Negotiations ongoing for elementary, high school bond project leads

Published 3:30 am Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Following board approvals in March, Sequim school officials remain in negotiations with key players for Sequim School District’s two largest upcoming construction and design projects – a new Helen Haller Elementary, and renovated Sequim High School.

Board directors unanimously agreed on March 23 in a special meeting to begin negotiations with FORMA Construction to become the district’s general contractor/construction manager (GC/CM) for the Sequim High School project and the Career Technical Education (CTE) building called the Ramponi Center for Technical Excellence.

The high school is part of the February 2025 voter-approved $146 million, 20-year construction bond, while the CTE building will be built in conjunction with the high school, but using separate state funds and donations.

FORMA, the general contractor/construction manager for Port Angeles’ Stevens Middle School renovation, will tentatively work with Mahlum, a Seattle architecture firm chosen in December by the Sequim School Board with an approximate $5.2 million contract. FORMA was one of three applicants, according to Sequim School District documents.

Mike Santos, Sequim School District’s facilities director, said on March 23 the recommendation of FORMA by a Source Selection Committee of various school leaders was an exhaustive two-month process.

Once a contract is agreed upon with FORMA, Santos said their staff and Mahlum’s staff will lead the district through the pre-construction and design phases with various conceptual designs, options for where buildings should go along with a total price for the high school and CTE project.

Santos told board directors it’s rare to get this far in negotiations only to have a contract rejected, forcing the process to reset.

The bond project will replace and enclose A, B, C, D, and E buildings at the high school and connect them to existing structures.

The Ramponi Center for Technical Excellence will consist of a 10,000 square foot building with classroom space, and two large open bays for industrial grade training on site for automotive and construction.

Timelines TBD

Preliminary planning documents state that the CTE Building will be substantially complete by February 2028, and the high school substantially complete by July 2029.

Superintendent Regan Nickels said in an interview that they “are absolutely on a strong pace for our projects.”

“We’re moving as fast as the statutes allow us,” Santos said.

While an official timeline hasn’t been shared for the new Helen Haller Elementary, Santos said that it’s to be determined and will be part of a validation report that includes final design and the construction timeline.

“The board has asked them to build concurrently but who finishes first is to be determined,” he said.

On March 2, the school board agreed to begin negotiations with the Progressive Design-Build team of Absher Construction of Puyallup, and McGranahan PK Architects of Tacoma for the new Helen Haller Elementary.

That process is a two-phase project delivery method that allows the school district to choose a design-builder based on qualifications rather than cost, and to collaborate on the project’s scope and price from the beginning of planning.

Absher and McGranahan were one of six teams to submit a statement of qualification (SOQ), according to the school district.

Santos said their negotiations determine the fee that includes the school’s schematic design, placement, footprint, and other factors, while also leading community and staff outreach.

Their contract will be a percentage of the project’s maximum allowable construction cost (MACC).

“There’s only so much we can spend on the school,” Santos said.

Once they receive the validation report, then the district would reconvene with Absher and McGranahan about choosing the final design and setting a guaranteed maximum price for construction.

Santos said that a validation report could take up to a year to accomplish.

Nickels said there are school design advisory teams of 10-15 stakeholders for both schools that will use detailed documents called Educational Specifications (EDSpecs) to determine, with architects’ help, what types of space are needed for standard classrooms.

At the March 2 school board meeting, Santos said principals highlighted the importance of builders working in close proximity of an operating school.

“They had to not just show it to us but prove it to us,” he said.

In a follow up interview, he said Absher and McGranahan’s explanation for operating around an operating school was outstanding, and they provided examples about the school, and a safety plan.

“They hit every box, and did it extremely well,” he said.

Santos said the agencies have an immense portfolio on the east side of the Hood Canal and that they had to share their portfolios, give examples of similar projects, and detail any difficulties they overcame.

The new elementary school will likely sit behind the current Helen Haller Elementary at 350 W. Fir St.

District documents state that the new school will be up to 62,000 square feet, based on state guidelines. Once complete, the current school will be demolished for parking and a bus loop, Santos said before.

Whether or not the new school is two stories is to be determined, he said.

For the bond vote, district officials listed a need to increase safety and update classrooms as both Helen Haller and the high school have open California designs and antiquated amenities.

Most of Helen Haller Elementary was built in the 1970s for about 350 children in kindergarten-fifth grade. The oldest portable classrooms date back to 1988. Currently, more than 500 students in third through fifth grade attend the school, and a fence was added around the campus in recent years.

Sequim High School’s five, four-room pods were built 50-plus years ago, with staffers reporting equipment and space having long been outdated.

Other projects

Safety and security upgrades are planned through bond proceeds for other existing schools too, including Greywolf Elementary, Sequim Middle School and Olympic Peninsula Academy.

Voters also approved the district’s proposals to:

• Replace the deteriorating transportation center where the bus fleet operates.

• Add a bus loop between Fir Street and Sequim Middle School.

• Add a Greywolf Elementary School cafeteria.

• Build a new Greywolf bus loop and parking lot.

• Improve Greywolf’s HVAC system.

• Upgrade the multi-sport athletic field.

Santos said preparations are underway to put bids out for the design work for Greywolf’s cafeteria and parking lot design, and work is also underway on all of the other projects except upgrades to the athletic field. He said field and stadium work is on hold because “Helen Haller has to be demoed first.”

“We have to create the room around the stadium in order to refresh that facility,” he said.

Prior to the vote for the bond, Santos said the track is not regulation size and would need to be expanded out about 4 feet and lengthened by 5 feet. Following safety concerns, the track was resurfaced in 2024 for the first time since 1996 as it was deemed unfit for competitions in 2021.

With no room to widen the track, Santos said they will have to move structures and lights. If improvements are made to the stadium’s bleachers and bathrooms, they’ll also need to become compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Decisions on the field’s future surfacing (grass or turf), and if there will be a cover over the grandstands have not been determined.

For more information about the bond visit sequimschools.org/bond_program.