The INDEPENDENT, January 15, 2009
Page 13
School board told jr. high school building should be vacated now
near future. The first report, fi-
nalized in December 2007,
concluded that both junior high
and high school buildings
should be replaced. In 2008,
engineering reports and recom-
mendations supported the
same conclusions. Now, FPC
concludes that “the combined
expenses to repair, upgrade
and maintain the two schools
would be far greater than the
combined cost of building and
maintaining new structures
over their estimated lifespan.”
No major renovation at ei-
ther the existing high school or
elementary facilities is included
in the $19.6 million. The board
would have to prioritize safety
mitigation projects, including
seismic and security issues for
those buildings. Vicki Van-
Domelen, an elementary tea-
cher and member of the FPC,
6th International Soup Festival, Jan. 31
The sixth annual Internation-
al Soup Festival, hosted by the
Banks Community Foundation,
will be held Saturday, January
31, from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. in
the cafeteria of Banks Elemen-
tary School.
The festival includes all-you-
can-eat soup and dessert as
well as musical performances
by John Deegan, Larry Lee,
Rex Bryant and the Bare Soul
Band. Many soups will be of-
fered representing cultures
from around the world. Selec-
tions this year include: wonton,
egg flower, Italian tortellini, tor-
tilla, and Hawaiian chili. Both
hummingbird and chocolate
cake will be served.
Advance tickets are $8 for
adults and $4 for children. Tick-
ets at the door will be $10 for
adults and $5 for children 6-12.
Children 5 and younger are
free. Contact Cathy Louie at
503-324-5713 for tickets or oth-
er information.
The Banks Community
Foundation is a non-profit or-
ganization committed to en-
hancing cultural, social and
economic development in the
Banks community. The soup
festival is a major fund raiser
for this organization.
Last year, the foundation
worked to get the new play
Super Quiet
Portable Power
structure purchased and in-
stalled in Greenville Park. The
foundation is continuing to work
on this project by seeking con-
tributions for benches and ta-
bles. Another major project for
the foundation is establishing a
community calendar on its
website, Banksfoundation.org.
This website should be live by
the time of the festival and will
eventually feature event infor-
mation from organizations
throughout the community. In-
formation about how to be a
part of the website will be avail-
able at the festival.
Kustom
rd Klutte
a
Y WAI Inc. r
Custom Hand Crafted
Yard Ornaments,
Fences & Decks
Mark Hamm
503-324-7317
or 503-319-5228
330A S Main St.,Banks
CCB#164221
said that the public needs to
understand that correcting
structural deficiencies identified
by engineering consultants
does not make the building
“safe” [particularly in the event
of a major earthquake]. Seis-
mic mitigation is intended only
to allow people time to get out
of the building with minimal in-
juries. Damage to the building
would probably prevent ap-
proval for continued use.
Lively discussion about the
possibility of passing a bond for
the original amount ($25.5 mil-
lion) ensued. Board chairman
Duanne Lundsten asked mem-
bers of the FPC, who were at
the meeting, for their personal
opinions regarding the possibil-
ity of passing a bond for $25.5
million. Pete Edison, whose
wife Kathy is a member of the
board, was firm in his opinion
that the bond would pass in
May if a professional campaign
manager was hired. He said
that the public is concerned
about the safety of the build-
ings. FPC member Ron Frank
was less enthusiastic about
presenting the same amount,
but felt that a “repackaged”
bond should be on the ballot in
May. The state allows the dis-
trict three attempts to pass a
bond. If voters fail to pass a
bond on the third attempt, the
district is required to wait at
least two years before present-
ing another bond.
In other business the board:
• Learned from district busi-
ness manager Simon Levear
that the current transportation
contract with Shafer’s Bus
Company extends until 2013.
The 1977 (typed & carbon-
copied!) contract has never
been revised, though revisions
could be advantageous for both
parties.
• Encouraged Jennie Comp-
ton to pursue plans for replac-
ing the softball equipment shed
with a more substantial multi-
use building that would include
restrooms. However, Lundsten
told her, “make sure all costs
were covered “…‘cause we
don’t have any money to give.”
• Heard the annual report for
WSC Insurance from Amy
Hanson.
• Approved modifications to
the school calendar that have
been endorsed by both the cer-
tified and classified staff: Janu-
ary 26 and March 12, previous-
ly non-student in-service days,
will be instructional days for all
students; the last day for stu-
dents will be June 12; the end
of the first semester is moved
to January 29.
• District property has been
expanded by the addition of
property next to the post office.
• BIG SAVINGS, GREAT VALUE! • BIG SAVINGS, GREAT VALUE •
Must
Buy 2
Golden
Bananas
.59 per lb
del monte
Right Here… Right now!
Thriftway
or Western Family
Gallon Milk
$
2 for 5
Right Here… Right now!
Western
Family
Yogurt
Special
Value
Paper
Towels
8 oz
for
assorted varieties
1 ct
10 $ 4
Right Here… Right now!
.59
Right Here… Right now!
660 So. Main, Banks • 503-324-2171
BIG SAVINGS, GREAT VALUE! BIG SAVINGS, GREAT VALUE!
The committee also pro-
posed a new alternative, allow-
ing a reduced bond request of
$19.6 million. In the new pro-
posal, junior high school stu-
dents would move into the ex-
isting high school facility after
minimal mitigation of critical
safety issues in that building.
Following the relocation of stu-
dents and demolition of most of
the existing junior high facility,
the district would build a new
high school. This plan meets all
space requirements of both
junior and senior high pro-
grams, though high school stu-
dents would need a temporary
facility during a two-year con-
struction period.
The FPC did not recommend
this alternative, because an ad-
ditional bond would be neces-
sary “likely costing more than
the original $25.5 million” in the
BIG SAVINGS, GREAT VALUE! BIG SAVINGS, GREAT VALUE!
From page 12
collected over the last three
years, including engineering re-
ports, long-term operations and
maintenance costs, and the
evaluation of instructional and
curriculum needs. Birr empha-
sized repeatedly that the com-
mittee unanimously affirmed
that a bond amount of $25.5
million represented the best op-
portunity for the district.
The committee also found
“that much of the Banks Junior
High School facility is no longer
safe for our children and facul-
ty” and recommended that the
board immediately implement
seismic structural improve-
ments or “that the oldest
structures of the junior high
school be vacated immedi-
ately and no students or fac-
ulty allowed within.” (Empha-
sis is in the committee letter.)
• BIG SAVINGS, GREAT VALUE! • BIG SAVINGS, GREAT VALUE •