On Thursday, January 12, Educational Service District (ESD) 123 will invite educational partners, neighboring businesses, and community members from across Southeast Washington to the grand opening of its newly-expanded Professional Development Center. The Grand Opening ceremony and tours begin at 9:30 AM at 3924 W. Court St. in Pasco, WA (on the corner of Court Street and Road 40).
Partnering with local Kennewick contractor G2 Construction, and principal architect Design West, ESD 123 broke ground on the facility expansion less than a year ago in late February 2016. The original Professional Development Center was built in 2005 as a two-story, 11,800 square foot building that housed the agency’s media center and 3 conference rooms. The new $3.6 million expansion more than doubles the size of the original building by adding 12,000 square feet, 14 offices, and 2 more conference rooms. The expansion also shifted the agency’s central office and public entrance around the corner and out of the one-story, original campus located at 3918 W. Court Street.
Features of the new building include additional office space to house growing programs, new conference facilities available to school systems and educational community partners, and a state-of-the-art “Classroom for the Future,” intended to serve as a resource to the educational community in furthering education and improving teaching practices.
“Communities from Prosser to Asotin, Othello to Walla Walla and beyond will benefit from this expansion,” says ESD 123 Superintendent Mr. Darcy Weisner. “Our ESD services bring schools and families significant savings and special programs that might otherwise be unavailable to them.”
The public is encouraged to attend the ESD 123 Grand Opening at 9:30 AM on Thursday, January 12 at 3924 W. Court St. in Pasco. Following the ceremony, building tours will be offered from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM that day. For more information, contact ESD Communication & Graphics Coordinator, Molly Curtiss, at 509.544.5787.
ESD 123 is one of nine educational service agencies in Washington State that is responsible for linking schools to state and national educational resources. Dedicated to delivering collaborative solutions that promote learning, ESD 123 serves 23 school districts in seven counties. Under Superintendent Darcy Weisner and its board of directors, this legislatively mandated, not-for-profit organization serves over 70,000 students ages birth to 21. More information is available at www.esd123.org.
