News & Information

Engineers are continuing to assess the structural integrity of the fire- and water-damaged Whatcom Middle School. Next week, workers will begin to remove the portion of Whatcom’s front exterior wall that extends above the roof, an architectural feature known as a parapet.

This removal is necessary because the roof’s framing, which supported the parapet wall, was destroyed in the fire. Because of the lack of support, this presents a falling hazard and needs to be removed. This feature will be replaced as part of the rebuild.

The district anticipates the engineers’ report this spring that will help determine the scope of rebuilding Whatcom and timeline for completion.

The timeline for planning and construction of Whatcom remains tentative until the structural assessment work is complete and more is known; the timeline could potentially be expedited based upon this information:

2010     Cleaning and Structural Assessment

2010-11    Planning (Educational, Architectural and Construction Planning, Permits, Bidding). This phase includes involvement from students, staff, parents and community.

2011–12    Construction

2012-13    Reopen

For Whatcom updates: http://bellinghamschools.org/whatcom-middle-school-update