A6
THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2022
Boosters: ‘There’s this
sense of humble anticipation’
Continued from Page A1
Tom Banse/Northwest News Network
The Washington Legislature approved a major funding boost to strengthen older school
buildings so they don’t collapse in an earthquake.
Washington Legislature OKs
funds for earthquake retroû ts
for older school buildings
in 2004 and has shelled out more than $1.9 bil-
lion for that since then.
Baker said a challenge ahead is to convince
An eû ort to jump-start the pace of earth- future Legislatures to maintain Washington
quake retroû ts to vulnerable, older school build- state9s funding at about $100 million every two
ings in Washington state has passed the Legisla- years.
ture unanimously.
“It will take a while to do this,” Baker noted.
The Evergreen State has lagged behind other <It is going to take 10, 15, 20 years to properly
West Coast states and provinces in reinforcing do seismic updates to all of our school buildings
schools to withstand strong shaking.
in our state.”
A report from the Washington State Depart-
Earlier this year, a bipartisan group of Wash-
ment of Natural Resources last year said tens ington senators proposed a statewide voter ref-
of thousands of Washington students attend erendum to authorize a $500 million bond sale
class in buildings at high risk of collapse in an to pay for school seismic retroû ts over the
earthquake. Thousands more youngsters go next decade. But by late February, a lead bud-
to low-lying schools in the
get writer, state Sen. David
coastal tsunami zone.
Frockt, said the earthquake
DaleAnn Baker, a Stan-
‘THIS IS A GOOD safety spending could û t into
wood, Washington, par-
the regular school construc-
FIRST STEP.
ent and PTA volunteer,
tion budget, which elimi-
was among a corps of citi-
nated an unnecessary risk of
LET’S MAKE
zen activists who success-
a bond measure failure.
SURE EVERY
fully lobbied the Legislature
Frockt said the money for
to more than double state
this purpose now will come
MOM AND POP
spending for earthquake ret-
from regular state borrow-
roû ts, or in some cases, to
ing, which is repaid with
IN THE STATE
pay most of the cost to relo-
general tax collections in the
UNDERSTANDS
cate a public school out of
future.
the tsunami zone.
“Providing safe places for
IT IS NOW
“The amount of fund-
children to learn is one of the
ing is signiû cant and this is
state’s most serious respon-
THEIR JOB TO
great,” Baker said in an inter-
sibilities,= the Seattle Demo-
HOLD THEIR
view . “It is really showing
crat said in a statement . “The
that the Legislature wants to
risk of an earthquake or tsu-
ELECTEDS
make a commitment to this
nami may seem small at any
eû ort.=
particular place and time, but
RESPONSIBLE
Baker said her journey
multiplied by all the commu-
FOR FIXING
into activism began a few
nities in potentially geologi-
years ago when she real-
cally active areas across our
THESE
ized the elementary school
state, this problem is urgent.”
SCHOOLS.’
where she sends her two
Frockt was the lead spon-
children was built in 1956,
sor this winter on a separate
Jim Buck | former state
long before modern seis-
school seismic safety policy
representative from the
mic safety codes. “How is it
bill, which establishes how
Olympic Peninsula
acceptable to require kids to
Washington schools are pri-
attend school in a building
oritized for seismic retroû t
that may collapse during an
funding and how much of
earthquake?” the aerospace engineer asked her- the cost the state will shoulder. Qualifying K-12
self and others.
schools must have been built before 1998. Local
On Wednesday, the Washington Senate voted school districts can count on state and federal
49 to 0 to pass a supplemental state construc- funding to cover at least two-thirds of an earth-
tion budget that includes $100 million for earth- quake safety project’s cost.
quake and tsunami safety upgrades to the most
Other people and groups that got involved
vulnerable schools statewide. The action to send in pressing the L egislature for bold action this
the budget bill to the governor’s desk followed year included the Washington State PTA, North-
a similarly lopsided 98 to 0 state House vote the west Progressive Institute, various school dis-
day before . The new funding for school seismic trict superintendents and a persistent former
safety retroû ts represents a 150% increase over state representative from the Olympic Peninsula
last year’s level and a nearly eight fold increase named Jim Buck.
from just three years ago.
<This is a good û rst step,= Buck said by
The Oregon Legislature way back in 2005 email after the state construction budget9s û nal
created a school seismic retroû t grant program passage . “Let’s make sure every mom and pop
on the scale now being launched from Olympia. in the state understands it is now their job to
The provincial government of British Columbia hold their electeds responsible for û xing these
started a seismic mitigation program for schools schools.”
By TOM BANSE
Northwest News Network
Next week marks the second anniversary
of the û rst recorded COVID-19 case in Clat-
sop County.
T he county had recorded 4,550 virus
cases as of Monday , according to the Oregon
Health Authority.
The P ublic H ealth D epartment said that
the availability of at-home testing means that
the oû cial count probably does not capture
the true total. Some people who got a posi-
tive result in private may not have reported it.
Margo Lalich, the county’s interim pub-
lic health director, said the county’s vaccina-
tion campaign has been successful. While the
health department did not expect that every-
one would get vaccinated, the county has
among the highest vaccination rates in the
state: 73.6%.
“The pandemic is not over,” she said.
“While guidance and policies are always
changing, we’re still in a pandemic, and
we’re learning how to live with this virus cir-
culating in the community,”
A new concern is how to navigate a
world where wearing masks as a precaution
against the virus is voluntary.
Businesses have recently reached out
to Lalich about masking. She heard stories
of employees dealing with customers who
resented the mask mandate , especially cus-
tomers who visited from places without
mandates. Some people became angry and
belligerent and verbally abused employ-
ees who were trying to provide customer
service.
Lalich hopes the voluntary approach
comes to be seen as part of the communi-
ty’s diversity.
“We don’t know everyone’s story, and
there may be a reason why somebody needs
to wear a mask,” she said, “and so don’t
assume you know — just allow them to
wear a mask as they’re choosing to wear a
mask, just like people do all kinds of things
with how they present to society and it’s
their choice to do so.”
Although the pandemic is moving into
a new phase, Lalich said it is important to
remember: “We’ve been here before. We
were here before delta … We removed the
masks, everyone got together, and then we
went through two surges after that.”
The world is experiencing a period of
calm. “And yet we also don’t know what
may be,” she said. “And so there’s this sense
of humble anticipation.”
Geografo: ‘I am thankful I
explored the road less taken’
Continued from Page A1
Geografo, who taught at a Catholic
school in the Philippines, said the transi-
tion in culture and education style has been
drastic, but she hopes to learn as much
from the students as they learn from her
science classes.
She found her passion for teaching at
the high school level because teenagers are
unafraid to challenge belief systems, she said.
The exchange program will allow her
to stay in the United States for up to û ve
years . Taking what she can during that
period, Geografo plans to implement many
of the lessons and strategies back in her
classroom in the Philippines.
OREGON CAPITAL
INSIDER
At some point, she also hopes to con-
nect the students in Knappa with her stu-
dents back home. She thinks the exchange
of diû erent cultures and ideas would be
beneû cial for both sides.
While moving countries and embracing
a new culture has been a substantial change
in her life, Geografo credits the community
in Knappa for helping her feel at home in
just a few months.
Whether it’s the small gifts or just a
sense of hospitality, the simple acts of
kindness have meant the most, she said.
“I didn’t ever imagine I would be wel-
comed this much,” Geografo said. “ ... This
is such a nice community. I am thankful I
explored the road less taken.”
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