Touring the St. Catherine of Siena School 032123

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Touring the St. Catherine of Siena School property

Photos by Mary Hurlbut

During a recent tour of the St. Catherine of Siena School property (three open houses were conducted on March 8, 9 and 11), guests were able to view the property as well as many of the interior spaces.

On January 24, City Council voted 4-1 in favor of the interim use plan, taking advantage of the available office spaces and recreational areas without making any structural changes on the property, which provides approximately 39,500 square feet of indoor space.

Use of the property will include most available classrooms, opening an emergency operations center and training room, a police department and marine safety substation and relocating fire department administration from city hall to the property’s administrative area.

Recreational programming includes indoor pickleball, youth recreation classes, adult drop-in basketball, cultural arts programming on the stage and wedding ceremonies performed in the chapel. Long-term uses of the property will be considered as part of a comprehensive city facilities master plan. City staff is planning to use the kindergarten classroom and connected secured playground space and restrooms for early education classes through the city’s recreation program.

Special events with 40 or more participants on the outdoor spaces, like the field or playground, would require a separate temporary use permit and an application fee. They would be reviewed by city staff on a case-by-case basis.

There is no immediate use proposed for the former chapel space. City staff is reviewing opportunities for weddings and small community meetings to be offered at this location. A proposed plan is expected to be presented to council later this year.

A facility reservation program and license agreement policy and associated fee schedule for the former St. Catherine campus is on the council agenda this evening (Tuesday, March 21). The revenue for the new fees is estimated to be $150,000 annually and approximately $15,000 during the fiscal year 2022-23.

Here are some photos that were captured during one of the two-hour tours.