The Aberdeen School Board has reached an agreement to purchase property along Basich Boulevard as part of the state’s Seismic School Safety Grant Program in order to build schools out of the tsunami inundation zone.

The School Board approved the agreement to purchase 105 acres from GeoDan Land, Inc. at its meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 14, for potential construction of a new middle school and an elementary school. The agreement hinges upon a final appraisal and completion of soil studies to confirm the site’s suitability for school construction. The purchase price is $2.8 million.

“We are very pleased that we were able to reach this agreement because there is not a lot of property available out of the inundation zone,” President Jennifer Durney said.

Provided the details come together, the district will use voter-approved capital levy funds for the purchase. The levy authorized the collection of approximately $9.3 million over the next four years for facility needs.

Districts that already own suitable property are able to navigate the seismic grant funding process at a quicker pace. A potential site in South Aberdeen for a new Stevens Elementary School is also under review.

“The Board feels very fortunate that our community recognizes the need to maintain investment in safe schools and that the capital funds can be used for this purpose,” President Durney said. “We also are grateful that the Legislature has prioritized seismic safety for schools.”

Basich Boulevard is named in memory of the late Bob Basich, an Aberdeen alum and football standout who returned to his hometown after World War II and college. He became a beloved educator and coach. In his “retirement,” he served on the Aberdeen City Council and then six terms in the Washington state House of Representatives representing the 19th District, which includes Aberdeen, where he championed rural education and coastal Washington.

In other Seismic School Safety Planning, the district is requesting grant funding to enter Phase Two for a new Harbor Learning Center that will be located on district-owned property at 5th and H Streets (near Aberdeen High School). The site has been tested and deemed suitable for construction.

The state’s Seismic School Safety Grants Program was created by the Legislature in 2022. In the Aberdeen School District, engineers and architects recommended:

Relocating the Harbor Learning Center (Hopkins Building), Miller Junior High School, Stevens Elementary School and A.J. West Elementary School out of the inundation zone, and

Possible seismic retrofitting for McDermoth Elementary, Robert Gray Elementary and Central Park Elementary schools. Aberdeen High School, which opened in 2007, is not eligible for funding.

Seismic planning is funded up to construction. Once planning is completed, construction will proceed as funding is made available by the Legislature.