BREMERTON — There’s a familiar juxtaposition along Wheaton Way: The dilapidated East Bremerton High School flanked by the glistening new Bremerton Teen Center and the recently rebranded Haggen grocery store.

But why’s it still there?

The East High property, built in the 1950s, belongs to the Bremerton School District and until recently, it was leased to the Youth Wellness Campus, a nonprofit organization that had plans to revitalize the property.

The YWC was unable to make significant progress so the property sat in limbo as nature began to slowly reclaim the buildings.

There are many questions about the property, but, going forward, officials within the district are optimistic.

Why does the property look like the set of “The Walking Dead”?

For a few years, the YWC simply couldn’t afford to pay for upkeep, and under the terms of the lease, the district was completely hands-off — meaning maintenance fell solely on the shoulders of the YWC. The property grew wild.

Cracks in the asphalt are filled with grass and dandelions, paint is peeling away, the windows are barricaded with waferboard, thorn bushes and small trees are slowly overtaking the buildings.

Since taking responsibility of the property, the district has tried to put a little makeup on what’s essentially a black eye on East Bremerton. They’re mowing the lawns, cleaning the sidewalks, and keeping the buildings secure in an effort to ward off transients and criminals.

“We don’t want to continue to use up community resources where the police or fire department are having to respond to that site frequently,” Leavell said.

There is some short-term progress though, namely, the gymnasium, which is getting a new roof.

So, the gym’s getting a new roof?

Yes. Eventually. But hopefully soon.

The YWC got the ball rolling on a $1 million grant from state legislature to repair the roof, but dissolved before it could receive the grant. The district couldn’t receive the grant directly either because the grant is only for “community projects.” So, in stepped the Kitsap Community Foundation to secure the grant on behalf of the district this past July.

“In short, this is (the district’s) project and is being done for the benefit of (the district) and our community,” said Kol Medina, executive director of the foundation. “When YWC recently dissolved, KCF stepped into the breach to facilitate this grant.”

The roof could add decades to the gym’s lifespan, Medina said.

Preserving the gym is high on Leavell’s list of priorities as he sees it as a key component to the property’s future.

“By funding the roof that gym will become the cornerstone of any projects that can be done on that property,” Leavell said. “Without the gym, I’m not sure how attractive (that property) is to developers.”

The foundation will gain access to the funds around September and would like to begin repairs shortly thereafter. Best case scenario, the roof will be done by December, weather permitting, Leavell said. If not, construct will begin spring 2016.

“That gym is iconic to the community,” Leavell said. “It represents a different time when there was East and West. Quite frankly, it’s worth saving.”

In the meantime, the district is maintaining the gym like any of its other buildings.

Then what’s happening with the rest of the property?

In short, they’ll be demolished — with the exception of the A-wing, which was built in the 1970s and renovated fairly recently.

But due to high levels of asbestos, as well as mercury in light fixtures and lead paint, it’s not as simple as running them over with a fleet of bulldozers. Certain precautions must be taken to ensure the dangerous remnants of the ‘50s do no harm.

How much this will ultimately cost is unknown, but it’s estimated to be in the millions. Currently, the property is being assessed to put an exact dollar figure on the demolition and disposal of hazardous materials.

Leavell said he expects an answer in the fall.

“My goal is to work diligently to get the process in motion and to expedite the demolition and removal of the building as I recognize that it’s a plight on our community,” Leavell said.

What happened with that $4 million kitchen the district promised?

In 2012, voters approved a $7.6 million levy for the district, approximately $4 million of which was for the construction of a central kitchen at the East Bremerton property that would service the entire district.

The levy also funded the new roof at Bremerton High School, a new building for West Hills STEM Academy, new district-wide technology infrastructure and fire alarm upgrades.

A central kitchen was never built.

That money was instead dispersed among the other capital projects, with a large portion going to the West Hills expansion.

The district was able to skip the kitchen under good conscious because the current kitchen facility has proven adequate. The district leases the former Frances Haddon Morgan Building near the district offices for $3,600 a month from DSHS. The lease expires in 2017.

It uses the kitchen to prepare 5,000 meals every day.

Leavell said that if the kitchen had been built, the 10,000-square-foot West Hills expansion would’ve been delayed.

And the expansion is much needed. At a February school board meeting, a West Hills teacher said the school was so overcrowded that the gym was used as a cafeteria and PE classes often had to be held outside.

Leavell thinks going forward with the West Hills expansion and using a smaller kitchen is  the better option for the district.

“It’s probably more cost effective than building a central kitchen,” Leavell said.