The Central Washington University board of trustees have directed Central Washington President James Gaudino to develop a plan for the university to come to Sammamish, Gaudino stated in a letter sent out Thursday to Sammamish City Manager Lyman Howard.

Following last week’s joint meeting and tour at the Mars Hill building, Gaudino stated the university’s provost is “intensifying discussions with faculty” and that he is “confident that CWU classes in Sammamish can be scheduled for the fall of 2017.”

“We were very impressed with the facility and we believe it could readily accommodate Running Start classes, as well as programming leading to certificate and even advanced degrees,” Gaudino stated in the letter. “It was clear to us that the council would be an excellent partner in an academic venture there.”

Staff with both the city and the university are still working on financial and scheduling models. Gaudino wrote he plans to provide more specific information about the finances and programming plans before Nov. 15.