The maintenance team at Meridian School District has been hard at work over the past year completing a variety of projects.

“We have a very dedicated and hardworking crew in maintenance that takes pride is making sure our facilities are well taken care of,” said Director of Maintenance and Operations Jay Yeager.

Donated portables
During the 2021-22 school year, a need for extra classroom space was becoming evident with increasing enrollment numbers.

The answer to this problem came in the form of eight donated portables from Federal Way Public Schools. The portables formerly housed their technology center. After the construction of a new building, the portables were no longer needed. Federal Way donated the portables to Meridian.

Four of the portables were installed at Irene Reither Elementary School (IRE). This created four new classroom spaces and also became the home of the Meridian Family Support Center. Each portable at IRE has running water and a restroom.

Three portables were installed at Meridian Middle School. Each portable is large enough to accommodate two classrooms, adding six new classroom spaces. The delivery and installation costs of these portables were covered by federal grant dollars, meaning there was no cost to the district.

“At a time when we recognized the need for more classroom space and I am proud of our district’s ability to find and secure over 13,000 square feet of classroom space without the use of local funding,” Superintendent James Everett said. “We were able to leverage federal grants to cover the installation of all eight portables, providing us the ability to plan for and respond to increasing enrollment. Our maintenance and facilities team has done a tremendous job securing and installing these portables. We know this is not the final answer but it provides us valuable time in quality classroom spaces until a long-term solution is found.”

During the summer, the final portable was installed at the Meridian Parent Partnership Program (MP3) and will soon transform into a cafeteria. Since 2017, students at MP3 have eaten their lunch in a classroom or outside. Soon students will be able to eat their lunch in their new cafeteria.

“We are excited to have a future lunchroom facility at MP3 since our students currently enjoy their lunches in the classroom or in the courtyard on sunny days,” Principal Michelle Siadal said. “Having a dedicated space for students to gather during lunch is a great addition to the MP3 campus.”

The cafeteria will be complete and ready for students in fall 2022.

Meridian High School
At Meridian High School, the north gym floor has a fresh look. The floor was stripped down, repainted and resurfaced. The floor was last refinished in 2001. The court is lined for both basketball and volleyball.

“The first thing that will catch your eye, is that we have completely redone the floor,” Director of Athletics Bryant Michaelson said. “It is much less busy on the main courts and has the Meridian M squarely in the middle. Previously we had green and blue lines running through the gym, those are now a less noticeable brown and gold color.”

The floor isn’t the only update to the gym, soon the bleachers will have handrails. These handrails will increase safety and accessibility for students and for our community who support our students during athletic events. The handrails should be installed by mid-November.

Another update at the high school is the stadium field, it has been converted to be dual sport. The field is now lined for soccer and football. During the summer, maintenance crews put extra care and attention into the field to prepare it for the added use.

“Our long-term goal for the stadium field is to have it serve as a multi-purpose sports field,” Michaelson said. “The maintenance department has done an amazing job of keeping the field in great shape this summer, and we look forward to their continued hard work and upgrades on the field.”

Accessible swing
Installed this summer was a new accessible swing at IRE. The swing-set was installed close to the primary classrooms to provide easy access.

The new swing is designed for students who may have motor or balance challenges. Students can be safely secured in the swing. This gives access to students who may not otherwise be able to use a swing.

“There is a desire to do all we can to be more accessible for our students, whether you are talking about the classroom or the playground,” Director of Special Services Aaron Jacoby said. “It is all about increasing student’s access to their educational environment, which isn’t just academic it is also recreational.”

While there are no short-term plans to install additional accessible equipment it is certainly a goal and priority for the district to invest in opportunities that give access to all students.

Facilities study and survey
Through grant funds provided by OSPI, Meridian School District has hired King Architecture to complete a study and survey. This study identifies current and future facilities needs of the district. The study should be complete by the end of the school year.

“As we look at the next five or ten years, it is very likely that we may need to present our community with a bond proposal to address some of our facility needs,” Superintendent Everett said. “We have a strong track record of maintaining and investing in our current facilities. Some areas are well beyond regular maintenance schedules and must be addressed in the near future. This survey and study will really give us a clear understanding of the condition of our schools and facilities and allow us to prioritize and plan appropriately.”