I have spent 25 years working as a local contractor involved in many different facets of the construction industry. As a school board director, this experience helped me to form a sound decision about the OHHS modernization.

About a year ago, a Capital Projects Committee began to study the needs of the district. I attended all but one of the many meetings held, and the high school was consistently the biggest topic. The committee consulted with McGranahan Architects, whose final presentation provided modernization options based on their professional experience. The current proposal of $54 million in local bonds and $20 million in state matching funds was the middle of the line proposal. As a committee, we looked at options that were less money, but determined that we could not get the job done responsibly for the lesser amounts.

Some imply that there is just a lack of maintenance at the high school. Currently we spend a lot of the community’s money on hard-to-get parts for outdated equipment. The problem is that many of the systems are inter-related. For example, we can’t just add more electrical outlets because the electrical systems are already overloaded. I’ve spent my life in construction, the infrastructure is over 30 years old, and I’m here to tell you that the need to modernize is real.

Cascade High School in Everett was built in the ‘60s, modernized between 1997 and 2000, and was in many ways very similar to OHHS before their remodel. I toured the remodeled Cascade facility with some fellow committee members, and found Cascade warm and inviting, the hallways had plenty of space, there were lots of plug-ins for computers, and the roofs were modified to enclose the heating and air conditioning systems from the weather creating sloped roofs, and the vocational programs had ample space, just to mention a few things. I can see the vision for OHHS in the Cascade modernization, a responsible investment of taxpayers’ dollars to extend the life a sound structure.

This is not a matter of if we need to modernize the high school, it is a matter of when. Recently we have experienced higher than normal inflation in construction prices. The time is now; we must act while interest rates are still relatively low. Delaying this project will cost you, the taxpayer, more later.

We did our homework, studied the modernization several different ways, consulted with industry professionals, and involved community members from business, construction, and education on the committee. We did not pick the most expensive or the least expensive option; we selected the most responsible option.

Corey Johnson, owner, C Johnson Construction, Inc., is a member of the Oak Harbor School Board.