Beginning in January, the former City Hall building at 200 Mill Ave. will be pressed back into service, this time as the home of the new Amazing Grace Christian middle and high school.
The City Council on Monday approved by a 5-0 vote (Councilwoman Terri Briere was absent and Counilman Armondo Pavone recused himself from the vote because his children attend the school) a five-year lease for the school, which has been in operation since 1960 and is looking to expand.
The city values the lease at $705,729.36 over the full five-year term.
“That the Renton City Council has given us the opportunity to offer our community a Middle and High School that is so fundamentally different than traditional schools is humbling,” said Amazing Grace Administrator Dr. David-Paul Zimmerman in an email. “We remained committed to preparing young men and women to be creative, competent and confident contributors to the global community.”
The school will utilize the first floor of the building. To pre the 200 Mill building for the school, the city will have to make a series of tenant improvements, including the removal of asbestos tiles that were installed when the building was built. A bathroom will also have to be added and the fire alarm system will be upgraded. The air conditioning will also have to be improved because of the increase in occupancy.
In addition, electrical docking stations and additional outlets will be added to the space, as every child at Amazing Grace uses a laptop as part of their studies. There are also a handful of other standard improvements like painting.
The school will utilize a total of 8,661 square feet and there are provisions int he lease for expansion to the second and third floors
The city estimates that tenant improvements will cost about $250,000.
Presently located at a facility in Skyway, Amazing Grace is aChristian-based school that serves children from 26 ethnic background and 12 faith traditions. Forty percent of the student population is from Renton. Tuition is approximately $6,000 a year.
The high school will emphasize Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) curriculums, but will also teach classic liberal arts and culture.
From the city’s standpoint, the school will finally bring in some revenue from 200 Mill Building. The last tenant in the space was WSU Extension and they left in 2009.
“I think it’s a good use of the building,” said Council President Don Persson during Monday’s Finance Committee Meeting on the topic.
Amazing Grace plans to expand its programs, including the elementary grades presently located in Skyway.
Zimmerman said Amazing Grace hopes to welcome students to the new school on Jan. 5, 2015.
