Before and after pictures of the Oroville Elementary School looking from the south end. The school received all new paint on it’s exterior.

OROVILLE – Custodians and maintenance personnel worked extremely hard this summer to paint and repair our schools.

One of the most noticeable projects they took on involved the painting of the Elementary school. This involved purchasing and using around 100 gallons of primer/paint and many hours of prepping and painting that accompanies so many gallons. Maintaining the core structures of our schools is a high priority and putting a new coat of paint on not only makes the building more attractive and inviting, but also helps to maintain its core structure by keeping it sealed from the elements to prevent wood rot and mold within the structure. Another notable item is that all the supplies and labor were purchased and supplied locally rather than using outside vendors or workers.

On the interior of the Elementary school the crew also found time to paint several classes that were long overdue for a new coat of paint. It is absolutely amazing how nice they all look. These newly painted rooms are warm and inviting and will undoubtedly help students have a better learning environment. Adding to the help of all the painting this summer were quite a few volunteers. A few teachers caught the painting spirit and came in to work on their own classrooms while the PTO and its volunteers also spent many hours repainting the lower half of the elementary gym as well as a few more areas.

In addition to painting the Elementary school, the bus garage was also given a long overdue paint job and looks equally nice. Of course, in prepping both buildings before the paint was put on, the maintenance crew replaced quite a few boards in areas where the extreme weather we receive had done its work over the years. Some of these areas had rot while others had been worked over by the birds. Sealing up holes and replacing boards should give the structures more years of use. The contrast of the before and after pictures of all areas repainted is amazing.

Hallways, entryways, commons, locker rooms as well as exterior handrails and posts were all painted at the High School. The library received new carpeting, which was a project all in itself removing bookshelves and books while then turning around and putting them back in. A very notable project that is close to completion is the replacement of all the old ballasts in the high school. Before this project is completed, we will have replaced nearly 100 light fixtures. This energy and money saving venture is being done in cooperation with our local PUD who offers a major rebate for each ballast that is changed to a more energy efficient ballast and bulb. Not only will this project pay for itself in the short term, but it will also save us on energy costs in the future by using lower wattage bulbs that actually give off a much more natural light for students to learn in. Students and staff will undoubtedly notice a great positive difference when school begins this year.

There have been many folks, both paid and volunteer, who have helped improve our schools this summer. The Oroville School District is proud of the work they have done and is grateful to have such dedicated people on staff and in the community. Included with this article are a few before and after pictures, which speak for themselves. During our open house on Monday, Aug. 29 at 6 p.m. all are welcome to stop by to see the work that has been done over the summer.

Next week, I will submit another article to the Gazette-Tribune that discusses the work of a community committee that was formed this past spring to discuss and help make decisions regarding the long term plans for our facilities to ensure they continue to be safe, attractive and structurally sound.