Roof of La Grande High School auditorium to be replaced with funds from seismic grant

Dick Mason, The Observer, La Grande, Ore.
·2 min read

Jul. 21—LA GRANDE — La Grande High School's auditorium is set to receive a major upgrade.

The school district is receiving a $2.49 million grant from Business Oregon, the state's economic development agency, for seismic work on the high school's performing arts auditorium. The grant will cover the replacement of the auditorium's aging roof and boosting the strength of its walls. The upgrade will make the auditorium more stable in the event of an earthquake.

"I'm always pleased when we can improve facilities in the school district," La Grande School District Superintendent George Mendoza said. "When you can improve facilities it is a great thing for the students, staff and the community."

A bid to a contractor for the seismic upgrade work will be awarded later and work on the upgrade project will start in late May or early June 2023 with site preparation work, Mendoza said. He hopes work can be completed by early September 2023, a timeline that would have no impact on student use of the auditorium at the start of the 2023-24 school year.

This will be the second boost the auditorium has received since 2016 when it received a major upgrade with funding from a $31.5 million bond voters approved in 2014. Work done in 2016 included a major expansion of its stage, the installation of new lighting, a much-improved sound system, major work to improve handicap accessibility and the installation of new seating.

Mendoza said the work to be financed with the $2.49 million seismic grant will go a long way toward preserving the upgrades made in 2016.

"It will help us protect our investment," he said.

This is at least the third seismic grant the La Grande School District has received from the state over the past decade. Earlier state grants paid for seismic upgrades at Greenwood Elementary School and its gym and the La Grande High School's gym.

This year, Business Oregon has provided $59.4 million in seismic upgrade funding to 17 school districts through its Seismic Rehabilitation Grant Program. Eastern Oregon school distrust that received grants include the Joseph School District, which received a $2.4 million grant, a portion of which is being used to build a new roof for a school building.

Dick Mason is a reporter with The Observer. Contact him at 541-624-6016 or dmason@lagrandeobserver.com.