Following last summer’s resurfacing of Sequim School District’s track, a few other sports spaces had revamps this summer.
Thanks to an anonymous donation through the nonprofit Olympic View Community Foundation, the two south courts at Sequim High School were resurfaced in early July.
Mike Santos, director of facilities, operations, and security, wrote via an email that the project cost about $41,000 and was paid for by the donation.
Superintendent Regan Nickels wrote in an email that the donation was made to start the Sequim School District Athletic Fund, and will be formally accepted at the Aug. 18 school board meeting.
“This fund allows donors to indicate which particular Sequim School District athletic program or upgrade they would like to support, or if the donation is open for any athletic facilities or other needs the district wishes to pursue,” she wrote.
“The donor indicated the funds would most ideally be utilized for tennis court resurfacing.”
Nickels said at the July 14 Board of Directors meeting that they’re going to look into costs for resurfacing the other courts just north of the redone courts.
This summer, the Sequim Middle School gymnasium floor was also sanded, repainted and refinished for about $23,000 using Risk Pool Reimbursement funds due to a water leak that damaged the floor, Santos said.
This was the first time the floor had been refurbished since the school was built in 1998, he said.
Sequim High School’s main gym floor was refinished using the district’s General Fund dollars for about $4,000. It was the first re-coat of the floor since it was refurbished in early January 2024 with funds from the four-year, $15 million Capital Projects Levy approved by voters in February 2021.
The Sequim Hall of Fame also donated a new PA system for the Stáʔčəŋ Stadium (pronounced “stah-chung”). District staff announced that it has already been installed.
Photo courtesy Sequim School District For the first time since the school was built in the late 1990s, Sequim Middle School’s gym was sanded, repainted and refinished, according to Sequim School District staff.
Future projects
More projects are projected in the coming years for the stadium and track as part of the February voter-approved approximate $146 million, 20-year construction bond.
On Monday, July 28, Sequim School District’s Board of Directors considered, after the Gazette’s print deadline, a contract with The Wenaha Group as the District’s construction management firm. Wenaha previously oversaw the 2021 Capital Projects Levy plans.
In previous interviews, school district officials said the stadium track was resurfaced prior to the proposal and approval of the bond projects due to safety concerns. The track was last resurfaced in 1996, and track meets had not been held in Sequim for three years.
The resurfacing was contracted for $363,299 under the 2021 Capital Projects Levy, and the pole vault runway relocated for about $39,000, and stadium lights replaced for about $85,000.
While specific plans are still under consideration for the bond proposal, the track and athletic field will be resized to meet current state competition standards. A determination on a grass or turf field has not been decided yet, staff have said.
Wooden light poles will need to be replaced, overhead electrical lines and vaults put in the ground, and the stadium bleachers and the bathroom made Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible, Santos said.
New concessions facilities, and storage for various sports teams’ equipment is under consideration as well, he said.
Note: Matthew Nash has family employed and enrolled in Sequim School District.
Photo courtesy Sequim School District Since it was remodeled in early 2024, the first re-coat of finish was put on the main gym floor this summer at Sequim High School.
