Forest Service joins work on classrooms

The U.S. Forest Service is the latest outfit to pitch in for the raising of four classrooms at the Sisters Elementary School - and they got a job nobody else wanted.

With a volunteer crew, the Sisters Ranger District installed fiberglass insulation.

When the job was done, Lands Forester Jeff Sims said "I don't think I am going to go into the insulation business, I can tell you that."

The Sisters Ranger District got involved when an employee read about other companies volunteering for the project. He mentioned to Acting District Ranger Mike Hernandez that the Forest Service has work days when they invite the public to help out in the forest - perhaps the agency could return the favor.

"We are part of the community. There are several employees with children in school," said Sims.

Hernandez approved, volunteers were recruited and George Chaney of Sisters Insulation supervised the insulation.

"We had 17 people the first day, and ran out of insulation. We came back and put 12 people on the second day, and had 10 people on Thursday," Sims said.

"We had a good response. A lot of folks got involved. It gives you a good feeling to go over and work on that," he added.

Project manager Bill Willitts said "insulating is a horrible job, and we had to put two layers into the ceilings. The Forest Service volunteered to give us one day. It turned into a three-day project. They just kept coming back."

Willitts added that Chaney "figured the materials and has been us every step of the way. Comfort Insulation donated ceiling insulation and Davis Weatherstripping Company provide the wall insulation."

Willitts said each new room has its own heat pump and furnace, and these systems, worth a total of about $35,000 to $40,000 if purchased at full retail prices, were completely donated.

"There were three heating contractors involved. Ponderosa Heating and Cooling, Mountain House Heating and Cooling, and ABH Co.," said Ponderosa's Bill Spezza.

"We divided the job into thirds, and off we went," Spezza said. "We did the first phase, Mountain House did second phase and ABH Co. is doing the third phase."

According to Willitts, once the insulation was in, drywall contractor Frank Peden began hanging sheet rock. "He volunteered about two-thirds of the labor. They have been terrifically diligent," said Willitts.

The four new classrooms should be ready for students when kids get back from Christmas vacation.

"I think we are on target for completion at the end of November. After the kids leave, we will fit the new space with blackboards and desks. When they return from vacation, they will be in their new classrooms," Willitts said .

Cash donations for the project have reached $143,000. "We need to get to $160,000 to complete all the details," said Willitts. This cash requirement grew from the original $135,000 estimate when some materials were offered at cost, as opposed to an outright donation.

"We will do another mailing of about 4,000 to community," said Willitts. "If you haven't given, we'd love for you to take us over the finish line."