WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and U.S. Representatives Norm Dicks (R-WA-06) and Adam Smith (D-WA-09) announced that the U.S. Department of Defense’s Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA) will award two grants totaling $46,485,468 to the Clover Park School District (CPSD), in Lakewood, to replace two elementary schools on Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
According to OEA, these awards will remedy the capacity and/or facility condition deficiencies that placed Hillside and Carter Lake Elementary Schools as the second and fifth schools on the July 2011 Deputy Secretary of Defense “Public Schools on Military Installations Priority List”.
These awards are from the $500 million program authorized by Section 8109 of Public Law 112-10, the DoD and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011, and Section 8118 of Public Law 112-74, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012, to construct, renovate, repair or expand public schools located on military installations. OEA, in making these funds available, must give priority consideration to those military installations with schools having the most serious capacity or facility condition deficiencies, as determined by the Priority List.
A multi-disciplined Federal Evaluation Team, with membership from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, the Military Services, U.S. Department of Education, and the Office of Economic Adjustment, conducted a review of these projects to ensure these awards were appropriate for the noted capacity and facility deficiencies.
“This is great news for the schools and for the entire JBLM community,” said Senator Patty Murray. “This is a critical investment in the public school system for the base. These grants will help ensure that the children of our servicemembers have a top-notch school facilities.”
“This new investment for Joint Base Lewis-McChord is great news for military families and their children in school,” said Senator Maria Cantwell. “The new facilities for Hillside and Carter Lake Elementary schools will ensure that children at JBLM have the tools they need to excel. I was proud to join Representatives Norm Dicks and Adam Smith, and Senator Patty Murray in supporting this critical investment.”
“The release of these funds today allows for the replacement of the Hillside and Carter Lake schools, which will be followed in succeeding years by the reconstruction of four more schools that the Army has determined are substandard. This is great progress,” said Representative Norm Dicks, ranking Democratic Member of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.
“This is an overdue and critical start for the replacement of two of the five aging schools at JBLM,” said Representative Adam Smith. “All students in our community deserve the highest quality education and first-rate facilities. This money will ensure the children at JBLM receive both.”
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