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Catharine Blaine K-8 School |
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Blaine Facilities Committee |
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Catharine Blaine K-8 School Principal: Heather Swanson heswanson@seattleschools.org 2550 34th Avenue West Seattle, Washington 98199 Office: 252-1920 Fax: 252-1921 24-hour Attendance Line: 252-1924 |
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BACKGROUND
When it was built in 1952, Catharine Blaine School must surely have been the talk of Magnolia. Think about schools built before World War II, then think about Blaine--angular and low-slung, it was a muscular, modern building for a new era. It was also notable as the first school west of the Mississippi to be planned and financed jointly by a school district and parks department, with all recreation and classroom facilities included under one roof. Striking in both innovation and style, Blaine deserves its prominent place in the Magnolia community.
But fifty-five years later, it's time for a face-lift! In October 2006, a group of Blaine parents joined together to form a committee dedicated to improving the physical appearance of the campus. Their immediate focus was the main entrance area and its unattractive, overgrown landscaping. At the Blaine auction the following month, nearly $19,000 was raised for landscaping improvements.
The committee, now known as the Facilities Committee, then applied for and received an $11,000 planning grant from the City of Seattle’s Department of Neighborhoods. John Barker Landscape Architects (JBLA) was hired to conduct a series of three public workshops during February and March 2007 to brainstorm ideas about how best to improve the main entrance area and then provide design alternatives. A 2004 playground improvement plan created by JBLA was also revisited and next steps were discussed.
THE PLAN
In April 2007, JBLA presented a final design to the Blaine community that offered improvements to both the main entrance area and the playground. The Facilities Committee selected the following tasks to tackle first: At the Main Entrance 1. Removal of poorly selected landscaping that obscures signage and lighting, followed by installation of appropriately-sized, drought-tolerant landscaping that enhances the architecturally significant building 2. The addition of benches, bike racks, safety bollards, and attractive trash/recycling containers 3. Cleaning and decorative scoring of the concrete entry plaza 4. The addition of benches at the street-level drop-off/pick-up area to more clearly identify the pedestrian entrance to the school 5. The addition of two bike/pedestrian paths to school’s main entrance 6. Relocation of dumpsters and a storage shed from the pedestrian entrance 7. New paint for a badly peeling flagpole On the Playground 1. Creation of a painted trail to illustrate the flora and fauna of Wolfe Creek (an actual creek that is piped under the schoolyard) to provide both environmental education and recreational opportunities with distance markers 2. Renovation of areas of playground asphalt 3. Replacement of vandalized or missing play structure elements 4. Replacement of a 6’ chain link fence with an 8-10’ chain link fence to better keep balls on the playground 5. The addition of another seat-wall planter to provide more greenscape 6. The addition of five benches 7. The addition of a colorful world map and U.S. map painted on the asphalt 8. Installation of colorful, student-painted tiles on the stairwell wall
FUNDING
To supplement the nearly $19,000 already raised toward the project from the Blaine community, the Facilities Committee applied for and received an matching grant from the Department of Neighborhoods (DON). The nearly $74,000 received was 75% of the funding requested, which meant reducing the original scope of work. Items the committee decided to put on hold include the two paths from 34th Avenue West and the third seatwall planter on the playground.
Because the DON grant is a matching grant, the Facilities Committee has been busy seeking in-kind donations and additional funding. Awards from the Kroeger Foundation ($250) and King County ($25,000) have taken us closer to our goal; we also have three grant applications pending. Fundraisers such as the Blaine Carnival and Bike the Bluff have also added to the bottom line.
Our generous in-kind donors include:
Duncan Chalmers, Architect David Heinen, Architect Ken Schoenleber Magnolia Thriftway Pacific Custom Construction Parke Place Landscaping Security Press
GETTING TO WORK
The Magnolia office of Windermere Real Estate kicked the project off when they selected Blaine for their Community Service Day in June. Nearly 30 agents spent four hours at Blaine, weeding and pulling out old landscaping. We are planning a work party at the end of October to install new landscaping. We will update the website as more tasks are scheduled.
VOLUNTEERING
We need volunteers to help us implement our ambitious plan. Plus volunteer time is valued at $15/hour toward the matching grant. For more information or to get involved, please contact Nancy Gilbert at soaring@blarg.net or 283-4638. |
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Thank you to Windermere Real Estate Magnolia! Their awesome team spent the day cleaning up the Blaine School grounds! |