After more than a year of negotiations and many years of uncertainty, the Small Faces Child Development Center Board of Directors has placed before the Seattle School board a purchase offer that will decide the future of the former Crown Hill Elementary School .

The former Crown Hill Elementary School building is one of several surplus properties being sold by the Seattle School District.  Built in 1919 and expanded in 1949, the building has always served as an important community resource.  No longer needed as an elementary school, for the past three decades the building has served as home to a nationally accredited childcare facility, with more recent additions of ARC School of Ballet, several small arts non-profits, as well as to the Crown Hill Neighborhood Association (CHNA) and Crown Hill Business Association (CHBA).

The  Small Faces Board has worked closely with its tenants, CHNA, local business, CHBA, and the City of Seattle to ensure that the school and property continue to provide vital and sustainable community services and arts programs, not just to Crown Hill but to the greater Seattle area.

At their recent September board meeting the Small Faces Board of Directors voted to finalize a purchase offer that is scheduled go to the executive level of the Seattle School District on September 10th and the in front of the full board on September 17th.  A district vote is expected on October 1st.

For information on Small Faces please contact Lynn B. Wirta, Executive Director. (206) 782-2611  For more information about the former Crown Hill Elementary, or details on the agreement and plans, please contact Catherine Weatbrook at (206) 372-2033  Catherine.Weatbrook@gmail.com. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

In late breaking news, the agreement cleared the executive committee of the school board this afternoon (September 10th, 2008).

We have a unique opportunity in Crown Hill to acquire the 3.4 acre Crown Hill School site and secure it for continued community use and benefit, including a park, arts, and childcare center. Come hear about the status of this project, and tell us what you would like to see happening in the building.

Agenda:

• Welcome and Project Visioning
• Building Conditions and High Level Business Analysis
• What are some Funding Possibilities
• What Interests are there in the Community for the Building
• Audience Interests Survey
• Recap and Next Steps

The Crown Hill School site is one of the 5 school properties the Seattle School Board voted to surplus last spring. The master tenant at Crown Hill is Small Faces Child Development Center  , and has one year to negotiate an agreement to purchase the site from the School District. The Crown Hill site can receive up to $1 million in the mayor’s proposed 2008 budget. There is also voter approved funding (Pro Parks Levy) of $1.1 million to establish a park at the site. Since July, when we held our public meeting at the site, Cascade Land Conservancy has been working with a core group of people from Small Faces and Crown Hill Neighbors to discuss how to acquire the land and buildings, and create an economically sustainable plan for the site. The working group has identified some possible funding sources for the Crown Hill Project:

• Private donations and events
• Corporate Donations, naming rights
• Foundations and trusts
• Government programs and grants
• Decrease costs paired with additional rental income

The ultimate solution will involve developing a sound business plan which includes all of the above.

The purposes of this meeting are to: 1) Disseminate information about the project and its current status; and 2) Engage the Crown Hill Community in shaping the future of the site.