8 10 26 Special Meeting

At the Blaine School District special meeting on August 12, 2026, the board reviewed two proposed bond project options developed with the citizen facility advisory committee. Both included a 50,000-square-foot middle school, remodeling usable portions of the existing school, demolition and temporary maintenance facilities, and Pipeline site improvements. The lower-cost option was estimated at about $58.19 million; the larger package, including expanded athletic-field improvements such as turf and lighting, was estimated at about $66 million. Members also discussed contingencies, potential operating and community benefits, accessibility, traffic circulation, restrooms, and the walking path. No construction contract was awarded.

The board unanimously directed the superintendent to pursue scenario two, with the bond request not to exceed $63,366,049.25. The superintendent said a bond resolution and refined cost analysis would return at a later August meeting, with DA Davidson expected to provide financing analysis; the district planned to submit the measure to Whatcom County ahead of the December deadline for a February ballot. The transcript also notes that district and levy funds were accounted for in the estimates, but the discussion did not fully reconcile the scenario estimate with the motion’s ceiling.