SPOKANE, Wash. – Garry Middle School, built in 1970, is set to undergo significant renovations as part of the Together Spokane initiative.
The school is planning to move its front office to enhance safety measures.
Principal Swinyard expressed confidence in the current safety of the school while also pointing ahead to the project should Together Spokane pass.
“We’re confident that the kids here at Garry are safe today,” Swinyard said.
The school, now 55 years old, reflects a time when school safety standards were different.
“Safety isn’t just about one strategy,” Swinyard said. “It’s about layering multiple strategies to try and mitigate the risk to the greatest extent possible.”
With funds from Together Spokane, the school plans to move the front office from its current location at the end of a long hallway behind glass doors.
In addition to relocating the office, there are plans to transform the cafeteria into a lunch common area.
Together Spokane’s efforts extend beyond Garry Middle School.
Swinyard detailed the potential improvements, saying, “That could be paint, that could be parking lot lighting, it could be playground equipment, and just making sure we are taking care of our 58 buildings.”
Councilman Michael Cathcart, present at Garry Middle School, voiced his support for the initiative. Despite typically opposing new taxes, Cathcart explained his stance.
“A lot of folks probably wonder, you know, somebody who has generally not been a big fan of new taxes, why?” Cathcart said.
He emphasized the necessity of investments in Northeast Spokane’s parks and schools.
“I think in a lot of ways it sells itself. But it is an investment that folks are going to have to be willing to make,” Cathcart said.
