Buckley leaders vow to fight plan by legislators to close Rainier School

JOSEPH TURNER; The News Tribune

Several powerful House Democrats have hatched a plan to shut down Rainier School in Buckley and transfer its 400 developmentally disabled residents to other facilities.

"Ouch!" said Buckley City Manager Dave Schmidt when he first heard the news from a reporter on Thursday.

Closing Rainier would devastate the community, he said. Not only would the city of 4,400 lose almost 10 percent of its population, but also 1,100 state workers - one-third of whom live in Buckley, Schmidt said.

Moreover, he said, the city is on the verge of partnering with Rainier School to upgrade the city's sewage treatment plant. Buckley had planned to take over treatment of sewage from the school - the school has its own plant now - and increase its capacity for growth in the community, he said.

Both plants need to be upgraded. But the school's closure would throw that plan in limbo, he said.

"That would be tragic," said newly elected Rep. Jan Shabro (R-Bonney Lake), whose 31st Legislative District includes Buckley and the school. She also learned of the new plan from The News Tribune. "I will be fighting hard to protect Rainier because it's important to the economy of Buckley.

"This is going to be warfare," she added.

Reps. Helen Sommers (D-Seattle), Ruth Kagi (D-Lake Forest Park), Hans Dunshee (D-Snohomish) and Eileen Cody (D-Seattle), all heads of House committees, came up with the Rainier closure plan earlier this week.

Kagi said it came in the wake of a Monday night hearing on Senate Bill 5971, a measure that called for closing the smaller Fircrest School in Shoreline and transferring its 256 residents to Rainier School and three similar facilities in Bremerton, Spokane and Yakima.

Sen. Darlene Fairley (D-Lake Forest Park), who is Kagi's seatmate, proposed closing Fircrest, which is in her legislative district. The Senate passed that bill on a 37-12 vote two weeks ago.

Kagi said House committee leaders agree on the need to consolidate state facilities that house the developmentally disabled, many of whom also suffer from some other medical or psychological disorder. They also agree with Fairley's proposal to sell or lease excess property at the five institutions to create a trust fund for ongoing support for the developmentally disabled.

But they disagree on which one to close.

House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler (D-Hoquiam) said she doesn't care which one is closed, but one of them must be.

"I have no favorite," Kessler said. "But we have to save some money. We're being eaten up alive. Our budget woes are growing by the day."

Lawmakers learned March 19 their budget shortfall has grown to between $2 billion and $3 billion out of a two-year, $24 billion budget.

"How many institutions can we keep open that are only one-fourth full?" Kessler asked.

The total population of mentally retarded residents at the state's five facilities, called Residential Habitation Centers, has dropped from 4,700 in the 1960s to about 1,100 today.

Dunshee said that from a financial standpoint, it makes more sense to close Rainier. It would cost more to fix up the mothballed cottages at Rainier than it would to improve similar buildings at Fircrest, he said.

On the other hand, Rainier School is the largest of the five state facilities, which means more residents would have to be moved and more state workers would be displaced.

A report by the Legislature's auditors said closing Fircrest would raise more money for a trust fund because the 88 acres in urban Shoreline are worth more than the rural acreage at Rainier. The governor's budget office also noted there is room at Rainier School to build a nursing care program.

"Negative impact to the Rainier community is far greater than the negative impact of the Fircrest closure to its community," according to an analysis by the state Department of Social and Health Services and the governor's Office of Financial Management. "Closure of Fircrest is probably the lowest-risk action."

Shoreline's population is about 54,000.

Fairley said she picked Fircrest because the sale of its 88 acres could fetch more than $30 million for the trust fund.

But there are other considerations, Kagi said.

The facilities at Fircrest are significantly used by nearby residents, she said. And Dunshee said the community doesn't want to lose a parklike setting in the midst of its city.

House Speaker Frank Chopp (D-Seattle) told union leaders and lawmakers he periodically swims at the Fircrest swimming pool, according to Devereux, Kagi and Fairley.

"Our position is that none should be closed," said Tom Dean, president of Friends of Rainier, a group of people who have relatives living at Rainier School. "All perform significant services for the retarded people there and we need them all. There are a lot of DD people who can't thrive in the community. It's a safe place for our people."

Greg Devereux, executive director of the Federation of State Employees, said his union represents employees at all five facilities and also opposes any closures.

Although some workers would be given the opportunity to transfer to another facility, most probably would lose their jobs because they'd be forced to uproot their families and move - perhaps across the state, he said.

"We don't think it makes sense to close any of them, but certainly not Rainier," Devereux said. "It's a fairly good-sized institution serving a large geographic area."

The Fircrest-versus-Rainier matter most likely won't be decided until near the April 27 adjournment date - maybe later.

City manager Schmidt said the closure is likely to top the agenda when the Buckley City Council holds a workshop Tuesday night.

Joseph Turner:253-597-8436
joe.turner@mail.tribnet.com

(Published 12:30AM, March 28th, 2003)