Preservation work moves ahead on historic Quincy Schoolhouse
The nip of fall weather will soon come to the Lost Sierra and preservation work on the historic Quincy Schoolhouse at 50 Church Street is moving along nicely.
On Sept. 12, the Plumas Unified School District’s (PUSD) Governing Board of Trustees approved a $247,000 bid with A Plus Painting of Roseville to provide and install framing materials for the building’s 63 new energy-efficient windows, then to install them.
The company was the low bidder by over $100,000 and will also provide and install materials to repair and/or replace the existing diagonal shear on the exterior. Further work includes flashing, window sealants or any other incidentals necessary for the window installation, plus demolishing the existing north entryway and non-load-bearing interior walls and flooring.
In addition, the contractor will wrap the entire exterior of the building.
The school district wants to weather proof the exterior of the building as soon as possible, so interior demolition work is set to occur only after the exterior portion of the contract specifications are completed.
PUSD Superintendent Terry Oestreich noted that Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) is manufacturing the lumber/siding and has donated $3,100 toward the purchase.
“We expect the siding to be delivered to the Quincy SPI (location) at end of September,” she said following the meeting and added, “Our project manager and team are working on another bid package for exterior siding installation.”
Funds for the restoration work do not come from the Measure B bond that is earmarked for school site repairs and other work. Instead, the historic schoolhouse work is being covered by the school district’s new loan on the project that was approved earlier this year.
Local contractor helps
The schoolhouse preservation project continues to be a labor of love for many committed persons in the community and some folks have lent special expertise to the project as it has moved forward.
Contacted after the school board meeting, PUSD Trustee Dwight Pierson commended local contractor Chris Murray for being instrumental in preserving the historic schoolhouse.
“Chris has been wonderful in assisting the district with the development of plans and materials for the Church Street school project,” Pierson said with gratitude, including a reference to Murray’s recent work researching and recommending selections for the building’s new windows.
Pierson had previously advised his fellow trustees and district staff that PUSD was able to negotiate an “excellent” price for the window purchase, with Murray’s help.
“I am sure that the architects and construction manager have appreciated Chris’ insights on how the old building was constructed and what materials were used, as well as recommending (new) materials that might be suited for the restoration of the building,” Pierson remarked this week.
Portola High’s closed campus
In other business, the school board took action on a housekeeping matter by approving a revised board policy that affirms current open- and closed-campus practices at the area’s high schools.
Portola Junior-Senior High School maintains a closed campus during the school day, requiring students to remain on site at lunchtime. The policy revision dates to July 1, 2017, and was needed for administrative purposes.
Chester, Greenville and Quincy Junior-Senior Highs all continue to offer open campuses, according to district staff.
School board members inquired if there was interest at the other high schools to implement a similar policy.
“This has been brought up with our principals and also at the district’s community forum meetings,” said Superintendent Oestreich. “No other principals have expressed interest in doing it and we haven’t gotten community input in favor of it at the other schools.”
Trustee Joleen Cline represents the Portola area and clarified that she expected some PJSHS families to react about the closed-campus policy last year, but “parents didn’t really push back.”
