The Seattle Public Schools board in their meeting Wednesday, May 5, voted to approve the lease of E.C. Hughes Elementary by Westside School. Operating at 10015 28th Ave. S.W. since 1993 and sharing space with Explorer West, Westside has been in need of more space for some time.

Hughes, at 7740 34th Ave. S.W. has been in the Seattle Public Schools inventory since last December when the Seattle School Board announced its availability. Testimony at the meeting was given as to the cost of maintaining the building as a vacant structure. The cost is close to $50,000 per year to run the boiler on cold days, and perform other maintenance on the building. All ongoing maintenance costs for the school will be covered by the lease.

The school's growth is the primary reason for the move. Head of Westside School Jo Ann Yockey said, " We have had a strategic plan which we began in 2006 to add one section at each grade level, before that we were one section at each grade, preschool through 5th grade. We started by adding another kindergarten class and then another 1st (grade) and so this year we have two 3rds."

Next year, Westside will have about 230 students, grades preschool – 5th, and has not only run out of classroom space but also room for other important programs like P.E., music and art. This year the school has 218.

The move is also about safety. The current location has no sidewalks and very limited parking. So pickups and drop offs at peak hours are a challenge.

The move to E.C. Hughes will give the needed space for all day PE classes, office space for Spanish and Chinese teachers, and classrooms for music and art while allowing every classroom to be in one building and bring the school together into one building.

The only drawback seen at Hughes is that the play field is all paved. They are exploring options to break it up to establish some areas of grass. While the building does need some refurbishing there are plans to paint walls, polish floors, and they may install new carpet, so bids are out now for that work. "We're not expecting it to be costly in terms of cleaning up the building. We're leasing the building so we're not going to be doing any major renovation at this point," Yockey said. "We've had access to the building and have done all the necessary inspections so and have RFP's out for the painting and other work so once we get the keys we can get going with the work inside," Yockey explained.

Speaking about the Hughes lease and the lease of other formerly vacant school properties Seattle School Board President Michael DeBell said,"I've heard every year that I've been on the board that no neighborhood wants a closed school, an empty school in their neighborhood since it can be seen as an attractive nuisance, whereas a building that is utilized becomes an opportunity for the community and for the businesses that surround it. I have no doubt that these new tenants that are going to occupy our buildings will also occupy the neighborhoods, the restaurants, the shops and so on in those neighborhoods and that's beneficial for everyone. So, I'm very happy to see this work"

The move to E.C. Hughes will take some time, including packing and transporting what they can, and help will likely be appreciated. You can contact the school through their contact page http://www.westsideschool.org/about/contact.htm if you'd like to assist them in moving to the new location.

The Westside community is excited about bringing this building back to life and to be in a more central, West Seattle location. “I went to school at E.C. Hughes, and walking into this building brings back lots of memories. I’m excited to bring these experiences back full circle,” said Westside parent and E.C. Hughes graduate Eric Moe.

The Board and administration is committed to being excellent neighbors and is excited for the fall and the new school year. Look for a public open house in early September.