Everson-Nooksack News
Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, July 5, 2017
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It’s a push to the finish for new NV Middle School
A crane helps a Dawson Construction Co. Crew work on completing the new Nooksack Valley Middle School this summer. (Courtesyaerial photo/Bill Peters)
Classrooms will be ready for opening day of new year Aug. 30 By Calvin Bratt editor@lyndentribune.com
EVERSON — Snug to the building that has educated Nooksack Valley students since 1946, a new school is taking
shape. For the past year, there has been a delicate balancing act of getting the new school built while carrying on in the old one as normally and as fully as possible. The building effort is now coming to a climax over the summer, with close to 75 Dawson Construction Co. workers on the campus each day to push this big Nooksack Valley Middle School project through to completion. When Aug. 30 rings in another school
year, students will not be entering an entirely finished structure — most notably because the front entrance is one of the last things to be done — but they will truly have a spacious, two-story new school that can begin to serve the community for many years into the future, Dawson project superintendent Corey Presler is sure. Classrooms will be ready, Presler said. The entrance, rebuilt gym and most landscaping work will continue while
students are in session in the fall. Meanwhile, in late July expect to see demolition of the 71-year-old familiar school building, and removal of two trees at the front — most of the row of oaks will be kept — to open up a proper view of the new school from Columbia Street. A phased project It has definitely been a project of successive phases. See NVMS on C6
Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, July 5, 2017
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EVERSON-NOOKSACK NEWS
Take your pick of Summer Festival fun Three days, two parks, one parade, and plenty more festivity WHATCOM — The 2017 EversonNooksack Summer Festival fills the two communities with plenty of fun activity to share this weekend. Friday It all starts at 10 a.m. Friday with the annual book sale of the McBeath Everson Community Library, but across the street in the back room of Peoples Bank. Food and crafts vendors set up in Everson City Park starting at 1 p.m. Friday and then at 11 a.m. Saturday. The Lions Club barbecue is from 5:30 to 7 p.m. also in the park. Round 1 of the 3-on-3 basketball gets going on Miller Courts in the park at 6 p.m. Friday and continues at 12:30 p.m. Saturday. All sign-up by age and division (second through eighth grades, both boys and
girls) is completed. Still Kick’n is the featured band providing live music in the park from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday A pancake breakfast is served at the Everson Community Center from 7:30 a.m. on, and for most of it Charlie Rossi will be at the piano. The adult cost is $5. The softball tournament gets underway at 9 a.m. in Riverside Park and goes both Saturday and Sunday (10 a.m. start) to 4 p.m. Of course, the big event, the parade, is at 11 a.m. down Main Street, with Jim Berg honored as grand marshal. Check-in and staging are at Christ Fellowship Church on the east end of town. Expect an old-fashioned family-favorite procession of tractors, floats, collector cars, horses, military groups, school bands, fire and police units, bicycles and pedestrian entries. Families are invited to set up lawn chairs along the sidewalk to watch and catch the flying candy.
It’s Round 2 of 3-on-3 basketball in the park. Jim Berg offers his deep historical awareness of the area on a Downtown Everson Historical Walking Tour that starts at 1:15 p.m. at the library. Kids’ games are Everson City Park from 1:30 to 2:15 p.m. Under the trees or out in the sun, hear the sound of Johnny and the Packstrings (featuring Randy Edin) from the band stage. Sunday The Run Like a Girl 5K fun run — that has to be fun! — is open to all and boosts local Girls on the Run scholarships. It starts at 9 a.m. in Everson City Park; signin is at 8. The registration fee is $20, which also gets you a T-shirt if enough are left. Nooksack City Park gets into the act with the 12th annual horseshoe tournament ($3 entry fee) and potluck dinner sponsored by the Glen Echo Community Club. It’s all from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Bring a dish to share, plates and eating utensils.
The 3-on-3 basketball tournament begins at 6 p.m. on Friday. The overall festival chair is Dan MacPhee, at 360-966-3411, ext. 2200. Other contacts are: Brian Altona for the softball tournament at 360-220-2598; Erika VanDyken for the 3-on-3 basketball at 360-815-5368; and Lisa Benner for the 5K run at 360-966-9617.
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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, July 5, 2017
EVERSON-NOOKSACK NEWS
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NVHS names two Graduates of Distinction A historical
tour of Everson is offered on Saturday at 1:15
2017 honorees are Ernest Snider and the late Harold Odegaard
EVERSON — At a ceremony held on May 30, Ernest Snider and the late Harold Odegaard were inducted as Nooksack Valley High School Graduates of Distinction, a growing group of 27 members. This honor started in 2004 as a way to “recognize and honor the distinguished achievements of high school graduates.” Two or three new names have been added to the list each year. “Our Graduate of Distinction will serve as positive role models for current and former students,” says the program’s advisory committee, which includes school board members and local mayors. “It is important for students to see how impressive their future ac- Harold Odegaard complishments, both personal and professional, can be to our community, schools and society.” While “pioneering excellence” in the district’s past, present and future, the Graduates of Distinction ceremony merges together the accomplishments of current high school students in community service. Snider, in the Nooksack Valley Class of 1954, went on to attend Skagit Valley Junior College and then served in the U.S. Army for 26 years. As a Command Sergeant Major, Snider earned a Purple Heart, Silver Star, Army Commendation Medal for Valor,
Jim Berg leads the way
Ernest Snider the Bronze Star for Service and the Bronze Star for Valor. Snider also served 19 years for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency and was a member of the Sumas American Legion Post #212 for 50 years. The late Odegaard, Class of 1950, was represented at the award ceremony by his brother, Gary Odegaard. Harold served in the U.S. Navy for four years and earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education
from Western Washington University. He was then an intermediate teacher in the Nooksack Valley School District for 29 years and served as the manager of Whatcom County senior centers for 10 years. Harold was a member of Sumas American Legion Post #212 for 50 years. He died in February 2017.
EVERSON — The Everson library branch offers three ways of participating in the 2017 Everson-Nooksack Summer Festival: • The used book sale will again take place on Friday and Saturday, July 7-8, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the room behind Peoples Bank across Kirsch Drive from the library. Find a great selection of new arrivals, something for everyone. Books will also be for sale in Everson City Park on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. • Families are invited to be part of the library’s entry in Saturday’s parade. Entrants will be walking or on bikes and scooters. Costumes are also encouraged, but not required. To participate, meet Everson library staff at Christ Fellowship Church, 1208 E. Main St., between 10 and 10:30 a.m. The parade starts at 11. • A historical walking tour of Everson with local historian Jim Berg is on Saturday, July 8. Learn intriguing aspects of the city’s past. Meet at the library at 1:15 p.m. On into summer, be aware of these offering at the Everson Library: Mondays in July — Preschool stories and play at 10:30 a.m. Mondays in August — Play dates at 10:30 a.m. Families with young children can play and create at this informal social time. Toys and materials will be provided. Terrific Tuesdays — Summer reading See Library on C7
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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, July 5, 2017
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EVERSON-NOOKSACK NEWS
Kirsch Drive project begun, on schedule 500 feet of roadway being rebuilt
Kirsch Drive is closed at its connection to Main Street. Reconstruction will be done in August.
(Elisa Claassen/Lynden
Tribune)
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EVERSON — The 70-day Kirsch Drive improvement project began on June 5 and is progressing as scheduled, said Rick Holt of the Public Works Department. Reichhardt & Ebe Engineering is managing the project with contractor Len Honcoop Gravel Inc. The contract is for $543,354.80. Funding is through the Washington State Transportation Improvement Board Small City Arterial Program using state fuel tax dollars. Also, Port of Bellingham grants, city road construction match money and private donations are part of the mix, Holt reports. About 500 feet of Kirsch will be rebuilt to set up a future connection of Lincoln Street all the way from Washington to Blair Drive. The project includes reconstruction and upgrading of roadway, installation of
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EVERSON-NOOKSACK NEWS
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sidewalks and stormwater facilities, and replacement and upgrading of affected utilities. It involves approximately 3,000 cubic yards of roadway and utility base material and finished surfaces, including asphalt paving. The project, despite being right in front of the Everson McBeath Community Library, is not really expected to impair the operations there, said library manager Eileen Shaw. The managers of the road work say they will make sure there is always some access to the library, Shaw said. That may involve using the mall parking lot across the street. “We will always be open and we’re pretty sure people will be able to get here,” she said. Public Works Directore Dave Schoonover said Everson continues to work toward Lincoln Street improvements and a south Everson sidewalk extension project, but nothing is scheduled on those yet.
Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, July 5, 2017
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Len Honcoop Gravel has the contract to rebuild the 500 feet of roadway. (Elisa Claassen/Lynden Tribune)
FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY! Book Sale • Vendors in the Park • Lions Club BBQ 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament Sponsored by Jason Heutink - Windermere Real Estate Live Music • Seniors Pancake Breakfast Downtown Everson Historic Walking Tour • Kids Games Softball Tournament • Run Like a Girl 5K - Fun Run 12th Annual Glen Echo Community Club’s Horseshoe Tournament & Potluck Dinner
Main Street Parade Saturday at 11 a.m.
July 7, 8 & 9
Hope to see you there!
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FESTIVAL SPONSORS: Peoples Bank • Nylatech • Tiger Construction • Jim’s Automotive • Cedar Prime Nooksack Valley Drug • Nooksack Animal Hospital • Everson Dental • Service Pro • Kelley Insurance Agency
Socco Forest Products • Farmers Insurance (Christine Chadwick Agency) • Friends of the McBeath Community Library • Meenderinck LLC • Growsource
Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, July 5, 2017
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EVERSON-NOOKSACK NEWS
NVMS: School operated 2016-17 amid construction
The view is to the south, showing the more visible back north-facing clasroom side of the new Nooksack Valley Middle School. (Courtesy aerial photo/Bill Peters) Continued from C1 After groundbreaking in July 2016, Dawson could bring in its equipment and begin work tight behind the existing school. One of the first tasks was to add almost five feet of structural fill material there and get it compacted. Also, the old kitchen area and some
portables were removed, creating more space for construction, but also requiring the Nooksack Valley School District to innovate a system for getting the school’s daily lunches made and served to 375 kids. “It got to be quite a challenge,” Presler said of erecting a new building right
next to a fully operating existing school. Along one long stretch, the two walls of old and new are about three feet apart. But Presler is highly complimentary of how everyone, from school staff to his crew and subcontractors, worked graciously through the inconvenience. As of June 30, in the new school in-
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terior painting was nearly done and wall covering was following close behind. Classrooms were getting their ceilings, electrical power and cabinets. Outside, smooth ebony brick was being added to the lower exterior, to go with two types of wood siding. All along, the sequence of construc-
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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, July 5, 2017
EVERSON-NOOKSACK NEWS tion of the 75,000-square-foot building has been from west to east. That means one of two student stairways is fully in, the other not, and the large student commons, cafeteria and kitchen area to the northeast needs the most work yet. Once that expansive high-windowed space is done, though, everyone will have great views toward farmland and the Canadian mountains. “The majority of the rooms are in their finishing stages,” Presler said. “When they are complete, we go to the gym framing.” The main gym of Nooksack Valley Middle School is one portion of the old that is being rebuilt to new standards. It needed to be used, with water and power, into February of the 2016-17 school year before Dawson could take it over. It has now been stripped down virtually to its steel framing and is receiving a seismic upgrade. Components of the roof are reusable. What were locker rooms and a stage area become part of a larger gym. To accomplish that, two steel columns must be removed and two new girder trusses put in to span the entire width of the gym. Also, a water main needs to be extended. New locker rooms are where science rooms once were. The separate auxiliary gym behind the middle school was newer and is retained untouched. Only on June 20 with classes finally out could the old school be cleared of all of its furnishings and equipment. There was a great coordination effort by the district, volunteers and the assisting Construction Services Group — “a lot of people coming together” — to move out, sell, salvage and get rid of all the stuff from the school in about three days’ time, Presler said. “CSG and the district have been great to work with,” he said. Now asbestos abatement of the old school is happening before demolition
can occur. Then the new entrance will be built just to the west of the redone gym, leading to the suite of reception space and administrative offices. The overall completion target is November 2017. Design features The design by Zervas Architects of Bellingham presents two long hallways on both floors flanked on the outside by large windowed classrooms. The space between hallways is for restrooms, support services, storage and janitorial. The commons area, as well as the rebuilt gym, will have retractable bleachers. Presler said that some of the old gym bleachers’ wood will be salvaged and repurposed to be the proscenium (front frame) of the stage. The school will have one hydraulic elevator. There is a weight training room at the east end of the second floor, near the gym and locker rooms. A third floor mezzanine is mostly to hold assorted ductwork and mechanical apparatus. The fact that the Nooksack Valley School District can do this big project, and various other smaller ones across the district, is due to voters’ passage of a $28 million bond issue on Feb. 10, 2015. It won over 69 percent support. Nooksack Valley School District Superintendent Mark Johnson had this to say about seeing the middle school nearing completion: “We have had a great team on this project of Zervas Architects, Dawson Construction and Construction Services Group. The new building is fantastic and we’re looking forward to opening its doors to students at the start of the 201718 school year. “It will be fun for our community to get a first external look once the old school is removed in the next several weeks.
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“Our projections, based on actual elementary enrollment, indicate (middle school enrollment) will be at 450 within the next few years. The school is built for an enrollment of 525.”
Library
High school project This is the most recent recap of the Nooksack Valley High School construction project from the district website: “Work has turned highly visible at the high school where a new front entry for the district office has a prominent feature and the fitness center exterior is nearing completion with all the windows and entrance doors in place. “The north side of the new administration area siding is nearly done and the north side of the fitness center gives a fresh perspective to the reach of the school on that side of campus. “Inside, work continues on the new front administrative areas with painting, lighting and sheet rock work all in various stages. “Work started at the high school in September 2016 and has already met its first phase of completion this past February in the form of the science classroom remodel. The next phase of completion happens in August, with a final wrap-up date set for December 2017.”
free fun Cactus if You Can —Tuesday, July 11, at 10:30 a.m. Prickle your senses with all things cactus. LEGO Show and Tell — Tuesday, July 18, at 10:30 Miniature Horses — Tuesday, July 25, at 10:30 Kids and Teens Craft Fair — Tuesday, Aug. 1, at 10:30 Book Club — first Wednesday of the month at 3 p.m. All Levels Chess Club — second Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. Ukulele For Everyone — fourth Wednesday at 4 p.m. For Nookchat on Sunday, Aug. 13, at 3 p.m., Pam Ames will reminisce about the history of the festival parade and other local stories with Jim Berg. “Explore the Past; Enrich the Present” is the goal of this informal, interactive gathering sponsored by the Nooksack Valley Heritage Center committee. Call the library at 360-305-3608 for more details.
Continued from C3
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Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, July 5, 2017
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