High school sewer line ready for test

The sewer line to the new Sisters High School is installed and hooked up, but it is not yet operable, according to Gary Frazee, public works director for the City of Sisters.

"We have to wait for the completion of McKinney Butte Road from Highway 20 to the school property before we can certify the sewer line," he said. "We expect no problems."

McKinney Butte opened last week from the highway to Brooks Camp Road connecting to McKenzie Highway from that juncture.

Work on the remainder of the road, from the intersection of McKinney Butte and Brooks Camp to the new high school, will commence August 19, when Hap Taylor and Sons, contractor for the job, moves in their heavy equipment.

"After the pavement is down," Frazee said, "we'll have to flush out the sewer line of debris from the construction site and installation of the sewer itself and then pressure check the line before it is certified.

"Then, we will be ready to open it for use by the school," he said.

It is hooked up already but blocked by a "ball" until the final tests are completed.

One of the certification checks is a vacuum test of the manholes along the new road and then a pressure check of the line.

"We'll run a TV camera down the empty sewer to see about valleys and other deformities before it gets certified," Frazee said.

The new road bed will be sub-graded by Taylor's crew. Rock and gravel will be laid as a foundation before the final blacktop is poured.

"There is nothing foreseeable at the moment to hold up use of the sewer by the high school when it opens this fall," Frazee said.

"We'll be ready when they're ready."

The new high school is scheduled to open for classes September 15. The other Sisters schools open on that date as well, according to Katy Gregg, business clerk for the Sisters School District.

"This is for the middle school children as well whose new school building will now be the old high school building on McKenzie Highway. Most of the classroom equipment for that school has already been moved from the original middle school on Cascade Avenue," Gregg said.

An open house for both the new high school and the middle school will be held on Thursday, September 11.