Wenatchee School District to Pass on Federal Building

Last month the Wenatchee School District announced their interest in the empty Federal Building on Yakima Street as a high school annex. The former home to the U.S. Postal Service is currently owned by the General Services Administration and could have been deeded to the district for almost its full price. But at tomorrow’s school board meeting, the board is expected to pass on the building. The District’s Facilities Committee gave a number of reasons, including the price tag to modernize the Federal Building at $40-50 million dollars and the short timeline to apply without time to study and develop an academic model for the campus.
Brian Flones, Wenatchee School Superintendent, told KOHO tax-payer money would be better spent expanding and modernizing the current high school.

Flones said the Facilities Committee has been studying solutions for Wenatchee High School, which is overcrowded and in need of modernization. At their September 7 meeting, the committee heard from architectural and construction consultants about the feasibility of turning the federal building into a high school. Many committee members toured the former federal building on August 31. The committee will be sharing their recommendation with the board at the next regular School Board Meeting tomorrow at 6 p.m. The public is invited to attend.