Wallowa County chieftain., August 07, 2019, Page 7, Image 7

NEWS
Wallowa.com
Wednesday, August 7, 2019
A7
Wallowa: District begins assessment
Continued from Page A1
Ellen M Bishop
The Enterprise Schools assessment unveiled at Monday’s school board meeting indicated
that the Enterprise Junior High School is in critical need of a new roof. The assessment
indicated that improvements in drainage and the piping for the heating system also are in
dire need of repair.
Enterprise: Assessment details costs
Continued from Page A1
donations to do the repairs,
up to $4 million dollars.
Not every repair included
in the assessment is essen-
tial. Some include costs for
items that can be done later,
or in smaller increments
such as replacing worn car-
peting or painting walls.
Determining
which
major repairs to make will
be a 16-month process,
said school board mem-
ber Adrian Harguess. That
process includes form-
ing several committees of
community members who
will review the costs and
urgency of repairs laid out
in the detailed assessments,
and help the school board
determine the work that
should be done.
“ We really need people
in the community to partic-
ipate in this process, to help
us make decisions, and to
be involved,” Fent said.
The study found several
critical problems that need
to be corrected in the near
future, said Cassie Hib-
bert of Wenaha Group con-
sultants. “The junior high
school roof is at the end
of its life, and needs to be
replaced,” Hibbert said.
“Some of this work needs
to be done as soon as pos-
sible. And certainly before
late fall rains and winter
snow. The need is imme-
diate.” She cited the boiler
room roof, which leaks,
along with worn and leak-
ing membrane fabric,
extremely poor edge detail-
ing at parapets, and places
where the roof membrane
is detached. Clogged drains
and gutters allow water to
not only leak through the
roof, but also infi ltrate the
building’s walls, produc-
ing additional structural
damage to the building.
“The immediate need is
to re-roof the boiler room,
re-seal or patch parts of the
perimeter and parapets, and
clean out the roof drains,”
Hibbert said. The junior
high school building will
need a full re-roofi ng in
the summer of 2020. Wen-
aha Group and their roof-
ing consultant Structural
Waterproof Consultants,
strongly suggest re-roofi ng
the remaining buildings in
the summer of 2021.
Improving storm water
drainage, which presently
inundates a neighbor’s
basement and is doing
structural damage to the
school buildings is another
pressing need considered a
high priority by the Wenaha
Group and also the school
board. A deteriorating
HVAC system, with pipes
that are “at their end of life”
according to the study also
needs to be replaced. Other
issues of concern include
the need to improve ADA
access, improve lighting by
replacing fl uorescents with
LED lights, and improving
student and building secu-
rity. “Some of these things
can improve the effi ciency
of operation, and save some
costs in the long run,” Wen-
aha’s Scott Rogers said.
The next steps will
include a school board
meeting in September
to help establish a long
range planning committee
of people in the commu-
nity. That committee will
review the facilities assess-
ment, determine the priori-
ties for repairs, and in April
2020, make recommenda-
tion to the board of edu-
cation. ‘’Depending upon
those recommendations,
the board may seek to levy
a bond for half the cost of
the repairs, with matching
funds to meet the full costs
provide through Oregon’s
Department of Education
Oregon School Capital
Improvements (OSCIM)
grant program,
“It’s a long process,
said Wenaha’s Rogers.
“But with Oregon’s avail-
able funding, it’s really
the most economical way
for rural school districts to
make needed repairs and
upgrades.”
to fi nd other things that need
replacement or repair due to
deferred maintenance. And
there may also be opportuni-
ties to remodel and upgrade
some facilities, including
science labs, shop areas, and
art rooms.
“Overall, your build-
ings are in excellent shape,”
Pivot architect Curt Wilson
said. “We are here to iden-
tify both defi ciencies and
needed improvements, help
with estimating costs and
developing a budget, and
assist the district and school
board in engaging the com-
munity in the project. We’ll
also help you develop com-
munity understanding and
support for passing a bond
that will be matched equally
by the Oregon Department
of Education to fund needed
work.”
Pivot’s work will also
include helping plan how the
spaces in the building sup-
port the delivery of educa-
tion in the way that teachers
and the board want, and how
the buildings’ spaces might
be improved. “We recog-
nize that the ongoing con-
versation between school
and the community about
what the school’s needs are
and where this project might
go is rally important,” Wil-
son said. Talking with your
neighbors is part of the pro-
cess of community engage-
ment. We want to create a
great environment for kids
and the future of the com-
munity, and one that meets
the goals and teaching styles
of the school.”
The fi rst steps on the road
to improved and updated
school facilities will start
this week, as Pivot’s archi-
tects and engineers exam-
ine the heating, electrical,
and plumbing systems, and
evaluate the structural integ-
rity of buildings, as well as
the seismic stability of the
school. That assessment will
be completed by mid-Sep-
tember, including cost esti-
mates. The radon evaluation
will be done later in the year,
Ellen Morris Bishop
Pivot architects (left) school board members, faculty and
staff discuss the timing of future meetings that will happen
during the long process of school assessment and renovation
planning Monday night.
probably November.
While completion of a
seismic evaluation might
not seem important, it can
help substantially in fund-
ing building improvements,
Wilson said. “Seismic eval-
uation is the fi rst step to
receiving a seismic rehabil-
itation grant program that
would help with structural
work. Those grants are up
to 2.5 million. That grant
needs to be focused on Seis-
mic improvements, but can
be done in conjunction with
other work.”
Once the assessment is
complete, Wallowa will
invite staff and faculty to
review the documents, to
make recommendations and
requests for improvements
that they would like to see
in classrooms. “The staff’s
input and recommendations
are very, very important,”
Hummel said. “We want to
have the teachers helping us
remodel for the future. “
Wallowa’s
assessment
process will closely involve
the community. It will
include two meetings in
late September — Sept. 24
to present the assessment
to teachers, and September
25th for community infor-
mation and input. Another
public meeting November
18 will follow that to further
refi ne the plan. In early Feb-
ruary 2020 the plan and bud-
get would be fi nalized. Then
there would be a bond levy,
with the Oregon Department
of Education matching the
amount of the bond, dollar
for dollar, up to $4 million
through its Oregon School
Capital
Improvements
(OSCIM) grant program.
Asked what overall goal
the school district wants to
meet, school board presi-
dent Woody Wolfe said, “To
maintain the viability and
longevity of the Wallowa
School.”
With students “leaking
away” from rural schools
this can be a challenge, noted
Stapleton. The long range
facilities plan that the school
and community will develop
as part of the assessment
will help defi ne the Wallowa
School district’s strengths,
including its excellent staff,
individualized instruction,
and role as a center or com-
munity life.
“It seems there is a lot
of pride and desire to main-
tain a school in this commu-
nity,” Wilson said. “That’s a
great reason for keeping the
buildings in good condition,
and preparing them for the
future.”
ELECTRICAL
& PLUMBING SUPPLIES
ELECTRICAL & WATER SYSTEM
CONTRACTOR
PUMPS • IRRIGATION
HARDWARE• APPLIANCE PARTS
Fair: 4H Mighty Mutt’s Dog Show a crowd favorite
as a Hawaiian hula dancer,
accompanied by her hula
partner Chester, an energetic
one-year-old Mini Aussie.
There were winners all
around. Both Bailey Ver-
nam and Jake Falk qualifi ed
to take their furry charges
to the Oregon State Fair in
September.
Continued from Page A1
me how much you under-
stand your dog, too.” The
class included a chance for
the judge to examine the dog
physically to determine how
well it was groomed and pre-
pared for the show, and how
friendly and amenable to han-
dling it was. “Show me the
teeth” meaning that the owner
had to lift the dogs lips so the
judge could see the pearly
whites was a requirement. In
this class, the 4H’ers also had
to answer questions about
their dogs, including naming
portions of the dog’s confor-
mation (“Can you show me
the dog’s elbow?”) to health
and grooming questions,
“How do you trim the dog’s
nails?” “What things might
tell you that your dog isn’t
feeling well?” and fi nally to
questions about 4H meanings
and symbols. (“What does
‘4H’ stand for?”)
The trick session included
dogs that fetched, walked on
their hind legs, and could roll
over.
The audience favor-
ite, though, was the cos-
tume contest. Favorites
included Devin Schreiber
208 S. RIVER ST. • ENTERPRISE, OR
www.jbbane.com • 541-426-3344
WALK-IN MEDICAL CLINIC
401 N Main St. JOSEPH
Simply walk-in, or
call for an appointment
541-426-4502
Ellen Morris Bishop
Katelynn Diggins adjusts a “wardrobe malfunction” on her Mini-
Aussie Chester during the costume portion of the dog show.
who appeared as a pirate
with Beth the Bassett hound
as his faithful mate, Freyja
Hostetter as Little Bo Peep
with Inga, her golden doo-
dle (wearing a fl eece) as her
sheep, Jake Falk as a fi tness
buff with his inspiring gym
partner Sampson (a Springer
spaniel), Bailey Vernam as a
peanut butter and jelly sand-
wich, with each of her two
labs as the main ingredi-
ents, and Katelynn Diggins
Introducing Orthopedic Surgeon
Dr. Adam Heisinger
• Doctor of Osteopathy,
Des Moines University, Iowa
• Internship and Residency completed
in orthopedic surgery at Affinity
Medical Center, Ohio; Fellowship in
sports medicine completed at Orthopedic
Research of Virginia, Richmond
• Served four years as flight surgeon,
Langley Air Force Base, Virginia and
Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina
Dr. Heisinger will be seeing patients at Wallowa
Memorial Hospital regularly for clinic visits
and surgery. Ask your physician for a referral today.
We treat you like family
601 Medical Parkway, Enterprise, OR 97828 • 541-426-3111 • www.wchcd.org
Wallowa Memorial Hospital is an equal opportunity employer and provider.
A Non-Profit Community Health Center
www.windingwaters.org