Islands' Sounder, August 12, 2015

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SOUNDER THE ISLANDS’

Serving Orcas, Lopez and San Juan County

WEDNESDAY, August 12, 2015  VOL. 48, NO. 32  75¢  islandssounder.com

Inside this edition

SCHOOL NEWS | construction nearly done, budget passed by COLLEEN SMITH ARMSTRONG Editor/Publisher

To those driving by this summer, it's looked like a jumble of jackhammering, digging and painting. All that work is culminating with a big reveal at the end of August when the school's renovation project is complete. “So far, the students' and staff 's reaction has been 'wow,'” said Superintendent Eric Webb. The $11.9 million project is slated to be done this month – just in time for the fall semester. The community is invited to a ribboncutting ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 29. There will be building tours starting at 4 p.m. followed by a dedication ceremony at 4:30 p.m. and a barbecue at 5 p.m. “The construction is on schedule and on budget,” said School Board Chair Janet Brownell. “We are very pleased with the work, and I think people will be stunned at the transformation.” It marks the end of a five-year

process that started with the school's initial – and rejected – 35-million bond. Six months later voters shot down a $27 million bond. Third time was the charm when in November 2012, the 20-year, $11.9 million bond was approved. The architectural firm Mahlum designed a concept that kept the existing foundation and remodeled the 1980s middle school, library, cafeteria, music room, wood shop and culinary arts room. School business manager Keith Whitaker notes that “creative work by the architects and flexibility by the school” were key in making the scaled-back project so successful. Architect Liz LeRoy served as the project manager, and a mix of local and off-island contractors performed the work. Leroy says the design principles included green practices, recycled materials and natural light. The lighting system is on timers to save energy

OPAL buys the Edith Macefield house SOUNDER STAFF REPORT

A tiny house surrounded by modern buildings in a commercial district will now reside on an island paradise with plenty of room to breathe. Edith Macefield’s famous house that was featured in the animated film “Up” will float away after all. After a number of potential buyers discovered that the house, which is in Ballard, could not be used in an economically viable way due to building code requirements, the seller solicited proposals from individuals and organizations who wanted to move the house and take over as stewards. The winning proposal came from OPAL Community Land Trust on Orcas Island. “Edith’s house will soon get a new lease on life in a far less claustrophobic location,” said listing broker Paul Thomas. “It will be surrounded by trees, not by towering cement walls. Rather than being forlorn and vacant it will be lived in and loved.”

Team Soapbox

Left: The Edith Macefield house in Ballard.

OPAL plans to have the house trucked to the nearby Ship Canal in Seattle, put on a barge and towed to Orcas. Once on land, the

house will be trucked two more miles, including taking a shortcut down the island’s airport runway, to its final location. The airport will be closed during the detour. OPAL’s crew will place the house on a new foundation and renovate it. The 1,000-squarefoot house was built in 1900. Macefield, who died in 2008, had refused $1 million from real estate developers to purchase her home. They built around the house instead, and she lived there until she passed at age 86. Macefield became friends with Barry Martin, the superintendent of the development project, and she left him the home. He later sold the property to a Washington company, which then foreclosed on it. The house went up for auction on March 13. “I can’t tell you how excited OPAL is about

SEE OPAL BUYS HOUSE, PAGE 3

and is all connected for remote access. In the middle school remodel, a brand new band room (complete with special acoustical design) connects to the Old Gym stage. A career technical education center was built onto the back side of the high school for shop, applied physics and art. Its three rooms each have a garage door that opens into the new courtyard. The new tech room is an addition to the cafeteria/library room. It has interactive white boards that are hooked up to computers. The library remodel features multiple rooms, a computer lab and a circulation desk built by shop teacher Mark Padbury. “Kids learn multiple ways, so the library was designed for different ages and learning styles,” LeRoy said. Webb is most excited about the new library, calling it the “center and focus of campus.” The cafeteria building has a culinary arts room, a commercial

SEE SCHOOL , PAGE 6

Sounder deadlines Display advertising: Friday at noon Classified advertising: Monday at noon Legal advertising: Thursday at noon Press releases, Letters: Friday at 3 p.m.

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