Tahoma School District is implementing creative security measures district wide this summer.
Kevin Patterson, spokesperson for the district, said the hope is to make it secure enough, but “not make it like a prison.”
There won’t be security guards posted at the elementary schools or more cameras, instead the district is reconfiguring entrances at several schools and increasing visibility on the grounds at others.
DLR Group, the architecture firm designing the new Tahoma High School, and Scott Rose – one of the architects at the firm who specializes in school construction with knowledge of school security – made the security recommendations to the district.
All of the security enhancements, Patterson said, are coming out of the bond measure funds. He said when they ran the bond, it listed items dedicated to security updates district-wide.
Senior High School
Maintenance staff cleared shrubs and trimmed the lower parts of the trees in the parking lot for better visibility from the building.
Glacier Park Elementary
The front entrance is being reconfigured to require visitors to go into the office to check in before entering the rest of the school building. Patterson also said the opaque glass blocks near the entrance of the school will be removed and a tinted glass window will be put in its place for better sight lines outside from the office.
Rock Creek Elementary
The same front entrance reconfiguration that is happening at Glacier Park will be applied to Rock Creek to provide more security.
Shadow Lake Elementary
Patterson said new signs that direct visitors to the main office are being installed, as well as security fencing.
More security updates are planned for the district, Patterson said. They are looking at having an integrated camera system rather than independent camera systems at each site.
“We’re still working on how to accomplish that in a way that is cost-effective while providing good visual coverage of our campuses,” he said in an email Tuesday.
Other summer projects
In addition to the security measures, three schools (Glacier Park, Rock Creek, and Shadow Lake) are getting new gym floors – also from the bond funds – and new track surfaces at the junior high and high school were installed. Also, Maxwell Stadium is sporting a new playing turf.
The current high school stadium will still be used for varsity games, even after the new high school is completed.
The cost for the new tracks and turf came out of the general fund money and has been accruing for 10 years, Patterson said.
The new high school
Patterson said the work on the new high school is currently on time and within budget. Timber and brush removal has been completed. Concrete footings for the main building will soon be poured, he said.
Lake Wilderness Elementary
The district’s plan is to work toward remodeling the Lake Wilderness Elementary during the 2017-18 school year, once the new high school is completed and open. The architects and engineers for that project have surveyed the school and campus and will present ideas for remodeling to the district soon.
Cost
The cost of the three new gym floors – from the bond money – is about $275,000. The new security updates, also from the bond funds, at the elementary schools will cost the district about $74,000.
The new turf and two new tracks was about $871,000 according to Patterson. That money came out of the district’s general fund as stated above.
