Marysville Pilchuck High School Cafeteria and Commons
Students and staff at Marysville Pilchuck High School are now enjoying the new Cafeteria and Commons building, which opened in January 2017. Harmsen was proud to be a member of the design and the construction teams. This project was part of the healing and rebuilding that have unfolded on the heels of the tragic shooting on October 24, 2014, which occurred in the school cafeteria and killed five students.
Following the tragedy, the resounding sentiment among the students, families, and the community was that no one ever wanted to go back into the cafeteria building. With the desire to make it possible to build a new cafeteria, state legislators set aside $5 million of state capital funds for the project. Another $2.5 million came from state matching funds. Then, the Marysville School District funded the final $650,000 required to build the $8.1 million facility.
The project fulfilled the vision that the facility would be more than a cafeteria; it would be a gathering place. Architect Hutteball & Oremus designed the facility according to this vision, selecting Harmsen as the civil engineering consultant for their team. The design features a 16,000-square-foot, steel-framed building with a high ceiling, and many windows to take advantage of natural light. It is sleek, energy-efficient, and tech-friendly.
Harmsen surveyors did the initial topographical survey work in 2015. Harmsen civil engineers provided design development services, construction documents, participation in bidding and negotiations, value engineering, and construction administration for the project. Tiger Construction of Everson, Washington, was awarded the construction contract. Construction was completed in late 2016.
