The City of Burien has started preparations for the demolition of the Burien Community Center Annex, located at 425 SW 144th Street (map below) at an estimated cost of $345,000.

Demolition to the 1940s-era one time elementary school turned community center – that was most recently the home to seven non-profit organizations – will begin in August, with a projected completion by October.

All Annex buildings will be demolished, and a temporary open space park will take their place until the city decides what to do with the property.

The proposed demolition of the facility came late last fall, when City Manager Brian Wilson gave tenants a Jan. 31, 2020 date to vacate. His directive was based on an initial study completed by MENG Analysis on Dec. 16, 2019 that claimed the facility’s condition was “critical.”

As many of our Readers may recall, resident John White conducted testing at the Annex at the behest of Burien Actors Theatre on Dec. 18, and those certified lab results came back as safe and repairable.

However, the city dismissed those results, then claimed that the Annex was uninsurable in its current condition (another claim White refuted but was ultimately dismissed; read our extensive previous coverage here).

The city selected Construction Group International (CGI) LLC through a competitive bid process to implement the demolition of the buildings.

The projected cost of the project is $345,400. The city says that funds are being transferred from other park capital projects and the City’s capital reserve fund to pay for the project.

This month, the City is finalizing the contract for this work.

“The Burien City Council decided to close and demolish the building after learning from a Facilities Condition Assessment that the building has several life safety concerns and is in critical condition, meaning the ratio between the cost to maintain and repair the building to the current replacement value of the facility is high,” the city said in a statement.

The project site – including the skate park and basketball courts – was apparently on Monday secured with a chain link fence to protect the public from construction activities and to secure the site. The park will remain open until the construction starts.

After demolition of the buildings on the north end of the property is complete, the site will be graded and seeded. The south end of the park will remain in its current state, and the north end of the park will be an open lawn. Parking will be available between the north and south areas of the park. The fence will remain in place after demolition until the grass matures, which will likely be spring of 2021.

No changes to the Burien Community Garden will be made at this time.

The City says it will be engaging the community in conversations about future public uses of the site.

“The City’s Annex Tenant Support Team continues to work with Annex tenants on relocation efforts,” the city said. “Of the seven tenants who rented space in the building, four have found new locations to continue operations, and three have found storage space while they continue to look for a new location.”

Below are photos of the fence installation, taken by a resident on Monday:

Project Overview:

    • Project Scope: Demolition and Park Restoration
    • Contractor: Construction Group International (CGI) LLC
    • Contract Amount: $345,400.00
    • Project Start: August 2020
    • Project Completion: October 2020
    • Director: Carolyn Hope, Director, Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services
    • Project Manager: Diane Salter, Parks Project Manager
    • Project Contact: [email protected]

Assessment Reports on Burien Community Center Annex:

Information from the City of Burien:


 

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