In reviewing the Capital Levy plan for our schools, I keep thinking of the old Paulson Chevrolet building in downtown Enumclaw that became unstable causing nearby buildings to be evacuated and downtown streets to be closed for safety reasons. The historic building had deteriorated to the point where it was unsafe and needed to be demolished. The building next door still has bracing up to support its wall. Thankfully, our buildings in the Enumclaw School District haven’t deteriorated to that point; but, they are in need of sizeable repairs.

All of us who are homeowners know that as much as we do routine maintenance, there comes a time when something major needs to be done: roofs don’t last forever, furnaces have a limited lifespan, an unexpected leak causes more damage than we realize. Homeowners also know that major repairs usually get worse and end up costing more the longer we put off doing something to fix them. The same is true of our school buildings.

Business owners recognize their premises need to be reasonably safe to attract customers. Buckets to catch rain from a leaky roof are sure to turn off clientele. Even business or apartment renters will put up with deferred maintenance by negligent landlords for only so long before they move elsewhere. There is a sense of pride in a community that takes care of its infrastructure. The same goes for our schools.

The 2025 Critical Maintenance Levy is desperately needed to repair and/or replace roofing and infrastructure items for many of the Enumclaw School District buildings. The existing roofs have exceeded their lifespan and/or warranties, have leakage issues that are safety concerns for students and staff and need to be repaired before damage gets much worse. By taking-in community input, the District has worked hard to pare this Levy request down to only the most urgent needs for the safety and learning health of our students and staff.

As a proud member of this community with family who attend Enumclaw schools, I plan to vote for the Levy. Building maintenance issues will only get worse over time and will certainly cost us taxpayers more in the long run if we put the repairs off. For those who are eligible and apply, King County provides property tax breaks. We need to step-up now to show our support for the students and staff who are housed in these buildings. We’d all root for our home team at school games, let’s show our Enumclaw “team” support for our students and staff by getting this Levy across the finish line successfully.

Donna JK Smith

Enumclaw