Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Colfax facilities meeting, tour
Colfax facilities meeting
Colfax Maintenance Supervisor Mark Brown leads attendees on a tour of Colfax High School Jan. 31.
Colfax Levy Committee Chairman Wes Claassen, center, listens during a facilities meeting Jan. 31. Colfax superintendent Jerry Pugh is at left.
Roof problems, asbestos, heating and air-conditioning systems are some of the top concerns for Colfax school buildings. Status of the buildings was reported to approximately 35 residents who went to a meeting and tour Tuesday, Jan. 31.
The session began with a meeting in the high school library and continued with the tour led by Maintenance Supervisor Mark Brown.
“This meeting is about the things we can’t address with the maintenance and operations levy,” said Wes Claassen, who heads the district’s levy committee.
Superintendent Jerry Pugh told the group that state funding could be more readily available now following recovery from the economic recession of 2008.
“The state has righted the ship a little bit,” Pugh said. “The money has started to come back to us. We have to have a plan. We have to know where we are going so we can budget appropriately for the students to be successful.”
The Colfax High School building opened in 1959-60. Jennings Elementary was built in 1953.
The last major renovations were completed from 2003-05 and included a new gym built at Jennings. Those renovations were financed with a $7.4 million bond issue which will expire in 2019.
The bond issue drew $2 million in state matching funds. State funds are now available in 30-year cycles which means Colfax would not be eligible again until 2034.
“We can’t wait 17 more years,” Pugh said.
Beginning to name areas of concern, he mentioned heating and air-conditioning work at Jennings and the high school.
Brown’s tour included looks at classrooms, the art room, auditorium and locker rooms.
Changes to the auditorium could include removing asbestos ceiling tile, insulation and replacing seats and curtains.
“What a jewel it is to have, but it needs help,” said Claassen, a 1990 Colfax graduate. “There’s holes in there that have been there since before I went to high school.”
After the tour ended, back at the library, attendees suggested they start with a full list which could later be whittled down.
“We’ve got to start somewhere and decide what we as a community think are priorities and where the future is,” Claassen said.
Pugh noted that priorities with facilities are students first, teachers second and staff third.
“His office space is the last priority,” Claassen said.
The next meeting is scheduled March 9, with the list compilation expected to be on the agenda.
Leaking roofs may be high on that list.
“The roofs could be a cornerstone of a new bond,” Claassen said. “If the community deems it. It’s too early for me to say that’s what is going to happen. The community has to decide that, not two or three people.”
Brown during the tour talked about using garbage cans to catch rainwater in the hidden walkways above the ceilings in both buildings.
“Roof and heating and air are the imminent problems,” Claassen said. “Why fix hanging ceilings and sheet rock (from water damage) if it’s just going to get wet again? It’s going to cost us more money in the long run.”
A pitched roof was installed at Jennings in 1993.
“It needs to be re-roofed,” Claassen said.
Brown also talked about the need for more asbestos removal from both buildings.
“That is a key focus for me. To get all those materials out of the district once and for all,” Pugh told the Gazette after the session. He added he does not view it as a health concern.
All told, a look at the Colfax district facilities is underway.
“If anybody has comments, I invite them to the next meeting,” Pugh said. “I’d love to have them involved.”
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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