A video was shown during Knight Skills on Friday, October 2.  A follow-up letter was sent to all BHS students and families that afternoon.  The District’s Bond Program Manager and members of District Leadership attended both lunches on October 2 to talk with students and answer questions. 

In the coming weeks, a notice will be placed on all cars parked in the student parking lots as a reminder.  

We are also reaching out to our neighbors to inform them of this change. 

The Consolidated Facilities building was recently demolished and is being rebuilt, as a part of the District’s Bond program approved by voters in February 2024. The bond also includes the replacement of View Ridge and Armin Jahr Elementaries, Heating & Cooling upgrades in all schools, and the relocation of Renaissance High School from portables to a permanent structure. 

After 10 months of researching and evaluating possible options for relocating the buses during construction, the BHS parking lot emerged as the only viable solution.

Safety & zoning constraints: Staging a school bus fleet requires significant acreage and specific municipal code permitting. District leadership spent ten months evaluating commercial and public sites across Bremerton, but no off-site locations met both city code requirements and operational safety standards. Ultimately, utilizing the upper BHS property emerged as the only viable solution.

Cost savings & fiscal responsibility:  Using this area for bus parking will save the project at least nine weeks of construction time and a minimum of $207,000 in project costs. Just as importantly, having full access to the entire site gives the construction team the flexibility to work more efficiently and safely, and to take advantage of time- and cost-saving opportunities as they arise.  Some of the benefits of this change can’t be fully calculated today, because many savings come from efficiencies we can only identify once construction is in progress. What we do know is that reducing schedule and cost helps the District deliver a better outcome sooner, with less disruption over time, and with more resources preserved for student needs.

With construction costs rising significantly since voters approved our bond in February 2024, we are working to manage every taxpayer dollar as strategically as possible. We are committed to delivering our bond program on time and within budget, and we take our role as responsible stewards of public funds seriously.

The City of Bremerton approved the district to temporarily house and operate our bus fleet on our own property at BHS (the two lower lots). Through a partnership with Olympic College, we are fortunate to lease their 11th Street lot (the upper lot) for dedicated student parking.

Yes. On average, there are 70-90 cars parked in the two current student parking lots. There are 122 spots in the new temporary lot on 11th. If we find there is a shortage of parking spots for seniors, we will look at other options for additional student parking. 

No - we do not require parking passes or reservations now for students or guests, and will not require them at the temporary lot. Students do not need to sign-up to park in the student lot. 

The BHS parking lots will be used as the transportation hub until the construction of the consolidated facilities is complete by early 2028.

Security fencing is being constructed around the parking lots.

Buses will begin warming up starting at 5:50 a.m., with the first buses leaving the lot between 6:10 - 6:20 a.m.

We will be reaching out to OC and neighboring churches about using their lots during graduation and will provide information and instructions for additional parking in the spring.

Transportation staff will park in the lots with the buses. 

No. Bus schedules will remain the same.

Street parking regulations are not changing. However, surrounding streets may see increased demand if students or visitors choose to park on the street rather than in the lot. Most street parking around BHS has a 2-hour limit, making it unviable for all-day student parking.