Madras Elementary Receives Seismic Retrofit Grant
Oregon Business is distributing the grant to schools and emergency services buildings across the state.
Madras, Ore – The Jefferson County School District is one of almost two dozen school districts across Oregon to receive a seismic rehabilitation grant from Business Oregon.
The grant is worth $1,665,979 and will be used to design and construct a seismic rehabilitation project for the gym in Madras Elementary School. The project will bring the building to immediate-occupancy standards, including structural and non-structural deficiencies. This was the third year the district has applied for the grant.
“The grant will ensure that in case of a natural emergency that the gym area will provide safety,” Madras Elementary Principal Chris Wyland said. “Our gym is a rubberized surface, and with a change to wooden floor the facility will be an upgrade for PE, external groups for facility use, and community organizations.
There were multiple structural and non-structural deficiencies of the building. Some of the structural deficiencies include the load path, holdown anchors, girder-column connections, wood ledgers, and more. Non-structural deficiencies include fire suppression piping, flexible couplings, emergency lighting, bracing for light fixtures and more.
Some fixes for the structural deficiencies include, adding new wood shear walls, providing holdown anchorage for ends of wood shear walls, adding blocking between structural members bearing on shear walls, new roof sheathing throughout and more. The grant will also help with non-structural deficiency fixes like bracing of all furniture and fixtures and more.
The district recognizes that award of this grant requires us to maintain and operate the building for a minimum of 10 years. That will not be a problem as the gymnasium at Madras Elementary school is of vital importance to our students for both promotion of an active lifestyle and for our community gatherings.
“I am excited for what will be possible for students and community with the facility,” Wyland said. “The dreaming and planning start instantly, and we are ready to put in the work to make improve the facility.”
Construction is scheduled to start in Spring of 2022 and end at the end of the year.
For questions or more information, please contact Joseph Prechtl, Jefferson County School District Communications Coordinator, at jprechtl@509j.net.
-Jefferson County School District-