‘They keep it expensive’: Gee says Gig Harbor can afford $800M school plan, but locals push back

Homeowners in the Peninsula School District could soon face an $800 million bond for two new high schools and a new stadium.

Gee Scott, co-host of “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio, said he loved the idea.

“I love it when you have an opportunity for there to be something built for the community,” Gee said. “When you start talking about people having loved ones and Friday night lights and graduations, it’s a great investment for your community.”

The district’s Capital Bond Planning Task Force recommended replacing Peninsula High School and Gig Harbor High School, according to The Tacoma News Tribune. The plan also includes a new 5,000-seat stadium, a new bus barn, two mid-size pools, and performing arts centers at the new schools. The total price would be about $800 million, paid for with a 20-year bond, according to Gig Harbor Now.

If voters approve the full amount, the district’s tax rate would rise to $3.52 per $1,000 of assessed value. That works out to about $67 more per month for the owner of a $500,000 home, or about $127 more per month for a $950,000 home, according to Gig Harbor Now.

‘The Bellevue of Tacoma’

Co-host Ursula Reutin called Gig Harbor an underrated gem. Gee said the people who live there already know it.

“They keep it expensive so folks can’t live over there,” Gee commented. “It’s the Bellevue of Tacoma.”

The task force said the two high schools are among the district’s buildings in the worst shape. Ursula noted that the district has pointed to leaking roofs, failing mechanical systems, and too few classrooms and labs.

Gee said families in the area would likely welcome the upgrades. He cited median home prices in Gig Harbor of more than $800,000.

“When your loved one, your child, is getting ready to go to school, something tells me they’re not going to be too upset about a nice area, nice little stadium,” Gee said.

Bringing the Fish Bowl home

KIRO producer Andrew Lanier questioned the size of the stadium. The current field, Roy Anderson Field, is shared by both schools and seats 2,000.

The annual Fish Bowl rivalry game between Gig Harbor and Peninsula moved to Mount Tahoma Stadium in Tacoma in 2024. Mount Tahoma seats 5,000, according to KIRO 7. The district said at the time that the game had outgrown Roy Anderson Field.

Lanier said bringing the Fish Bowl back home appeared to be the main reason for a stadium that size. He added Roy Anderson Field doesn’t fill up for regular home games or other events.

“When we talk about school budgets, right? And gosh, we got to cut. Can we afford a counselor? Can we afford a school resource officer?” Lanier said. “Districts are throwing around an extra 50 million, 100 million here when they’re talking about bond issues.”

Gee wasn’t worried about that in Gig Harbor.

“Something tells me over in Gig Harbor, we’re not going to have to worry about not having that counselor and all those kinds of things,” he said.

Gig Harbor residents express hesitation

Ursula guessed that a growing, well-off community might welcome the spending. Then the texts started coming in.

“Please don’t talk about how nice it is here,” Liz in Gig Harbor wrote. “Too many people have already moved here. There’s not enough infrastructure here to hold what we have, and they just keep building.”

Liz said she lives just outside the city limits and isn’t sure how the bond would affect her. “But I don’t think we’re going to be happy about it,” she wrote.

Jen in Gig Harbor sided with Lanier. John in Gig Harbor said the district already has three new schools and doesn’t need a 5,000-seat stadium or a performing arts center. He noted that both high schools already have pools.

“That does sound like what we’re making assumptions about what people might want in Gig Harbor, just based on how beautiful we think it is,” Ursula admitted.

‘Where are you going?’

Gee wasn’t moved. He said communities everywhere are upgrading, and Gig Harbor isn’t going to stop growing.

“Right now, Gig Harbor is not dying,” Gee said. “If somebody says, ‘Hey, you know what? I don’t like what’s happening in Gig Harbor. I’m going to move.’ Where are you going?”

He answered his own question.

“You know what, honey? We’ll leave Gig Harbor. We’re gonna go to Lacey,” Gee joked.

One texter summed up how many locals feel: “If you call something paradise, it gets ruined.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio.