McKinley School's Marshy Misery
Tacoma’s board of education moves to address debt and site conditions at the unhealthful McKinley School location.
The story, cleaned up
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At a meeting yesterday, the Tacoma board of education focused on the McKinley School district. Following the annexation of former district No. 93, the board authorized the refinancing of outstanding warrants, reducing interest rates from 10 percent to 5 percent to save costs. It was noted that the school building requires significant cleaning and repairs, though the board concluded the building will eventually need to be moved entirely, as the current site is unhealthful due to the presence of nearby marshes.
“The building will ultimately have to be moved, as the present site is an unhealthful one on account of the nearby marshes.”
The struggle to find suitable, healthy land for public infrastructure in early Tacoma reflects the city's rapid, often haphazard growth over tide flats and marshlands. Today, Tacoma continues to grapple with the environmental legacy of those early development choices.
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