HASSO HERING

A perspective from Oregon’s mid-Willamette Valley

Our Days of Corona: Watch construction

Written April 3rd, 2020 by Hasso Hering

Something to look at: Steel components being craned into the auditorium under construction at West Albany High on Thursday.

People meandering around Albany, on foot or on the bike, for something to do during these Days of Corona don’t have many sights to attract their attention. So how about watching the goings-on at construction sites?

There’s West Albany High School, for instance, where on Thursday a crane operator was hoisting big steel components, like beams or girders or something, into the interior of the auditorium.  The theater is one part of the $61 million expansion of West, a project in which Gerding Builders is adding about 110,000 square feet of space to the school.

Too bad there’s no convenient spot for the public to watch the progress. Nobody thought it necessary or useful to provide a handy viewing platform or anything like that.

In any case, the published schedule says the construction is supposed to be finished in December. So there’s plenty of time to wander past the perimeter fence and keep an eye on the workers doing their jobs, evidently unhindered by the pandemic that has closed the schools and much else.

No one knows when the schools will reopen. But presumably they will resume before January 2021, when the added space at West is scheduled to start being used. That’s assuming by that time there will be enough left of the Oregon economy to support our school system as we have known it over the years. (hh)

This sign went up way before PPE acquired an added meaning in the Days of Corona.

 

 

 

 





5 responses to “Our Days of Corona: Watch construction”

  1. Gordon L. Shadle says:

    Evidently in Oregon school construction and landscaping services are considered life sustaining per the Gov. But the Gov arbitrarily ordered many other businesses to shut down.

    The Gov ignored the fact that this country’s Constitution applies in good times and bad. And her power to invoke a police state is very limited and can’t be imposed randomly.

    So it is no surprise that a tidal wave of lawsuits is starting across the nation. Hallelujah.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/03/us/corona-virus-lawsuits.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

    • Ray Kopczynski says:

      “Lawyer-up!” It’s the American way…

    • Jerry Boydston says:

      Hey Gordon, didn’t you move to Arizona or some place? But you continue to fire spit wads from the back of the classroom…

  2. Lundy says:

    Thanks for the continued updates Hasso and for reminding people that a virus isn’t the only aspect of the broader pandemic picture that’s capable of dramatically affecting people’s lives.

 

 
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