CSD Superintendent Dave Kline and Whalen Construction site supervisor Ben Collins review next steps in seismic upgrade to the south wing of Colton High School. (Cindy Fama)

Pair of assistance groups are changing the days they are open

The Colton School District was awarded a $2.1 million Oregon State Seismic Grant to upgrade Colton High School for seismic rehabilitation of the south wing of the building in May 2024.

Colton School District Superintendent Dave Kline said the district accepted the bid of Whalen Construction for the seismic retrofit project. The upgrade will include new exterior walls and windows.

Shear wall, a structurally engineered strong-back support designed to withstand seismic loads, will be installed on the interior walls along with seismic upgrades to building joints.

Kline said the old heating system is being replaced with a ductless heating and cooling system using multiple mini-splits. The condenser unit will be installed on the roof.

Whalen Construction site manager Ben Collins said everything has been removed from the south wing of the school as subcontractors are working on removing and replacing walls. The workers are also preparing the interior walls for the Shear wall installation.

Kline said the district is working on a student start date of Sept. 2. The building will be a work in progress on its exterior, but the students will begin attending as planned. The district will provide updates on the project in the coming weeks and months.

New Days

Both Colton Helping Hands Food Pantry and Colton Community Clothes Closet have switched their open day to Thursday.

The Helping Hand Food Pantry, located at 30138 S.  Wall Street, is now open only on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. This change is due to the rising cost of electricity needed to keep the pantry’s refrigeration running from the day of food delivery until the following Monday.

Since food is delivered on Thursday mornings, the HH crew puts in a lot of time and effort to organize everything and have it ready for patrons before they open the doors at 10 a.m.

The Colton Community Clothes Closet, located in the Parish Hall of Colton Lutheran Church next to the Colton High School parking lot, has changed its open day to Thursday to align with the food pantry as it offers new-to-you clothing and shoes in all sizes, from newborn on up, along with housewares and a small library, with no charge for any items.
Their hours are from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Clothes Closet will be offering a back-to-school shopping day coming at the end of August. It will feature backpacks, clothes, shoes, coats and more. Additional information on this event will be provided soon.