PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles School District is poised to move closer to reconstruction of Stevens Middle School.

Thursday, the school board is expected to accept a “value engineering study” report. That report was put together by the consultants after workshops held looking at alternatives for Stevens in August.

The report offers more than half a dozen recommendations for the Stevens campus. They recommend the district break the overall development of Stevens Middle School into two distinct projects to allow the start and completion of construction earlier. They also believe the project could be accomplished about a year earlier than originally planned. The report also says the district should move students off the campus to other facilities during construction and not try to house them at Stevens using portables. They also recommend reconsidering renovation of existing buildings on the campus and even constructing a new building on the north side of the Stevens site.

The report also recommends the district investigate alternative financing options, such as possible bridge loans, to help cover the cost of the project while the district awaits awarding of state construction dollars.

The Stevens renovation was a key part of a $52.6 million dollar capital facilities levy passed by voters in 2020.