Apr. 8—LA GRANDE — The question is on the minds of many who have been following the progress of Grande Ronde Hospital's $72.5 million expansion project — why is there a small fir tree and an American flag attached to the middle of one of its top steel beams?

The short answer is that a touch of Scandinavian flare is being drawn upon to mark an important milestone in the expansion work.

The last of hundreds of steel beams for the project was installed late Thursday, April 6, which means the frame for the 96,000-square-foot expansion is virtually complete.

"This means a lot to us. It is really a turning point," said Tracy Johnson, senior project manager for BouTen Construction Company, the firm in charge of the construction project.

To celebrate this, a "topping out" ceremony took place, modeled after those first conducted in Scandinavia many centuries ago. They were looked upon as opportunities to celebrate the health and well-being of the workers as well as the future occupants of the building, Johnson said.

Branches of trees used to construct the wooden buildings were attached as part of the ceremonies. Scandinavians did this to honor the trees and to signify everlasting life, Johnson said. Later, the branches evolved into trees at topping out ceremonies and ironworkers added a flag in the United States to show their patriotism.

Johnson said the fir tree and the flag will remain attached to the steel beam for several weeks, adding the construction project, which began in 2022, is progressing on schedule and should be complete by fall 2024.

Winter weather conditions did not hinder construction work overall.

"We have had a lot worse weather," Johnson said.

Work on erecting the new addition's steel beams started March 26. Johnson cannot believe how quickly the beams were installed.

"That's right, they started erecting this structure two weeks ago and we are on Day 11 — incredible," he said during a presentation before the topping out ceremony.

The main function of the multi-story building will be to house new operating rooms.

Work on the project will include the pouring of concrete for the structure's six decks, said Reuben Clouse, a superintendent with BouTen.