The Bellingham school bond may affect the community at large

As many may know, Whatcom County voters passed the $160 million school bond Nov. 6. 

According to the Bellingham School District, the funding that was provided from the state and federal level was not sufficient enough to support the various facility projects that were needed.

Such projects include: rebuilding Sehome High School and Happy Valley Elementary School, tearing down the current seven portables at Options High School to make way for a new school building, building a central kitchen at Sehome High School to prepare healthier food, renovating the school district’s bus barn, and replacing the current grass fields at all the high schools with synthetic turf.

Of all these projects, the rebuilding of Options High School and the installation of the new synthetic fields at Bellingham High School will directly affect many Sunnyland residents.

According to Chad Larsen the athletics coordinator at Bellingham High School, the new turf fields will cut costs for BHS and students athletes.

Due to the fact that the soccer fields are closed for the majority of the school year because of weather, BHS rents out Northwest Soccer Park and Civic Field for the soccer team and marching band to practice at.

The synthetic turf will serve students by being located on campus, allowing them to use the school bus for transportation, instead of their own cars.

The fields will be cost saving and time saving from a transportation stand point, and will be more consistent with the type of fields that students compete on in the play-offs, said Julie Moody the assistant athletics coordinator at BHS.

Not only will the new fields be available for student sport practices and P.E. classes, but also for the enjoyment of community members.