Next Meeting: Nov. 15 at 10:00 AM at Tutta Bella
In the summer of 2009, the New School will leave the Columbia School building for its new facility in Rainier Beach and for the first time in more than 100 years, a public school may not be operating in the heart of Columbia City. Over the coming year, the Seattle School District will likely decide what to do with the soon to be vacant Columbia School building.
People have expressed lots of ideas about how the property could be reused. Ideas that have come up include: a permanent home for the Columbia City Farmers Market, artist spaces, non-profit spaces, small business incubator space, a new home for Zion Prep Academy, community garden, workforce housing, an extension of Columbia Park, and lots of other ideas.
Friends of Columbia School (FoCS) was founded to help inform, engage, and involve the community regarding the future use and development of Columbia School. You can review the draft mission statement and make comments in this discussion area.
Meeting Agenda
- Welcome and Updates: An upportunity to discuss news regarding the Columbia School building and the Seattle Public Schools.
- Mission Statement: Discuss FoCS' draft mission statement and goals. Comments can also be sent to Joanne Lauterjung at moc.ogidni-esum|ennaoj#moc.ogidni-esum|ennaoj or posted on this discussion page.
- Outreach: In an effort to reach out to all parts of the community, a group of people will begin making special efforts to engage minority and low-income representatives. If you are interested in participating in these conversations, please contact Michael Woo at ten.tsacmoc|yobeiloob#ten.tsacmoc|yobeiloob.
- Community Discussion: FoCS will host a series of discussions this winter about the City’s decision making process and redeveloping vacant schools. If you’re interested in helping to coordinate these discussions, please contact Scott Barkan at moc.nsm|nakrab_ttocs#moc.nsm|nakrab_ttocs.
Please join us for coffee and a discussion about the school building. You can also print out the flyer announcing the meeting.
If you're looking for more information, interested in helping out, or would like to donate your time, please contact Rebecca Cate at ten.tsacmoc|etackr#ten.tsacmoc|etackr or 760-8078.