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Crater High School operations back to normal by Oct. 24 By Kevin Opsahl | Mail Tribune Updated: Sep 30, 2022 09:18 AM A A Central Point schools Superintendent Walt Davenport said crews making progress on structural deficiencies; two days in mid-October needed for move-in With crews making progress throughout the week to fix a structurally deficient portion of Crater High School, it is now projected that students and staff will be able to move back into the area by Oct. 24. Central Point School District 6 Superintendent Walt Davenport provided those developments in a letter Friday to students, parents and community members more than a week after engineers discovered structural deficiencies while assessing the roof of an old, remodeled gym space during the installation of a new HVAC system as part of ongoing bond improvement projects. “This week, we have received very good news. Crews have worked hard to install structural supports and additional beams that will allow us to reclaim our classroom spaces,” Davenport wrote in the Friday letter. “Engineers and officials have inspected the work and provided the district with documentation allowing occupancy of the building. Safety is our priority, and we are very confident in the completed structural work and the engineering evaluation.” Sept. 21, the day the deficiencies were found, Davenport canceled all classes at Crater High School for the remainder of the week. Staff, and some students, used that time to transition to a temporary mode of learning for the 20 classrooms impacted, setting up tents outside to eat lunch; making the cafeteria into classroom space; using existing teacher preparation periods for classroom time; and removing personal belongings from lockers in the gym space. As classes came back into session this week, engineers, including experts from Portland, worked on the closed-off portion of campus, which essentially is a classroom area that was built as a gym in the 1950s, which is when the trusses in question were installed. In the Friday letter, Davenport said the building is not yet ready for occupancy, as construction crews need the next two weeks to “repair these affected areas and get the rooms back in shape for students and staff.” By Oct. 14, school administrators will be able to begin moving operations back to normal, according to Davenport. That date was originally reserved as a state in-service day, and now it will be used to move equipment and supplies back into classrooms. Oct. 17, a parent-teacher conference day, will also be used for move-in time. “By Oct. 24, the process will be complete and all students will be back in their original classrooms,” Davenport wrote. “I want to thank all of the staff, students, engineers, construction crews and city officials that rallied to support our high school during this challenging time. The actions on the part of everyone involved are a testament to the devotion and dedication of our community and educators.” Reach reporter Kevin Opsahl at 541-776-4476 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @KevJourno.