Sequim voters passed a $145 million school bond to upgrade aging facilities—but was it also a payday for the consultants who helped sell it? The Wenaha Group, a private firm that specializes in crafting bond campaigns and then managing the resulting construction, is poised to cash in. With property taxes set to rise and public records still missing, residents are asking: Was this bond about schools—or about profit?
When Sequim voters passed the School District’s $145 million bond last year, they were told it was about improving schools, fixing old buildings, and investing in the community’s future. But with property taxes about to spike next year, one question rises to the top: Where will the property tax money be going?
All signs point to The Wenaha Group, a private construction project management firm based in Pendleton, Oregon. A quick look at the Sequim School District’s contracts for bid shows Wenaha’s name popping up again and again—handling everything from HVAC upgrades to sewer lift stations and fire alarm replacements. It’s hard not to notice a pattern.
This isn’t Wenaha’s first time in Sequim, either. They were the project manager for the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe’s controversial Healing Campus, a.k.a. the MAT Clinic, a facility that stirred deep community division over location and intent.
And now, with a massive high school remodel and a brand-new elementary school on the horizon, Wenaha Group seems well-positioned to land the multimillion-dollar master contract.
Why? Because Wenaha doesn’t just build schools. They help districts plan bonds, pitch them to the public, and get them passed. Their own marketing says it all:
“Partnering with Wenaha Group at the beginning of the pre-bond process gives public agencies a solid foundation and a transparent road map... We guide districts in systematically working through complex considerations including facilities capacity and forecasted growth, bonding capacity and debt structure, site availability, equity, staff input and needs, and community input.”
Translation: they’ll help you craft the perfect sales pitch to voters, then manage the resulting windfall. They offer “impartial” third-party guidance in forming bond proposals, running outreach campaigns, organizing “community task forces,” and coordinating communications consultants. In short, they’re experts at milking tax dollars for big-ticket public construction—and then managing the job. You’re not alone if you think this looks like a conflict of interest waiting to happen.
The Wenaha Group is also a certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) in both Oregon and Washington.
That means they can qualify for preference in government contracting, especially for public projects tied to federal or state funding. According to their own filings, they hold:
Oregon MBE/DBE Certification #8606
Washington State DBE Certification #D1M0024097
They may also qualify for DOT-funded projects and school construction grants tied to diversity benchmarks.
Is the Sequim School District using Wenaha’s pre-bond services? We don’t know for sure—yet. CC Watchdog submitted a public records request four months ago asking for documentation of any contract between the District and Wenaha Group prior to the 2024 bond election. No records have been provided.
Sequim taxpayers deserve straight answers:
Did Wenaha Group help shape the bond voters were asked to support?
Are they now positioned to oversee the very projects they helped justify?
If the same firm that helped sell the bond is also in line to manage the payout, that’s not just a conflict of interest—it’s a playbook. And if the public’s being kept in the dark, it’s fair to ask: Was this bond built for schools—or for consultants?
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