Construction is Underway

De-construction of the preschool building began the week after school ended. Martin, a young man breaking into the demo and salvage business, came in with a crew of three to begin taking apart the garage conversion piece by piece. They started by removing the interior drywall and then a double layer of fiberglass insulation. They kept at it for eight days running, disassembling the building in an organized and clean fashion. They estimated that they will be able to salvage and recycle over 80% of the structure. They removed sheeting, siding, insulation, stud lumber, trusses, windows, exterior and interior doors and trim. Newer skylights were carefully removed for use in the new building, as were several doors and fixtures. Martin and the guys spent hours removing nails and sorting materials for reuse and recycling. The responsible de-construction of this well-used building was an important component of this expansion project at CFS.




Last week's activities included moving the administrative office from its basement dwelling to the bright, above-ground location where the primary computer lab used to be. Terri and Kim are happy to have their realm upstairs as they keep up with the summer communications and tasks to keep the school running. New Director, Linda Symonds, will begin work after the July fourth, and participate in preparing for the upcoming school year. Work was also done in the basement for next week's channeling of new drainage pipes through the concrete floor so plumbing in the main building can be connected with the waste lines in the new building. At first this seemed like a daunting task, as so many things needed to be moved from the preschool storage room and back curriculum room, but it went smoothly and will eventually allow for more organized and utilitarian work spaces in the basement.

A giant excavator made its appearance on-site Saturday morning to break up the concrete foundation. Concrete rubble was shuttled by bobcat out to the southwest corner of the play-yard to create the base of a new amphitheater-shaped berm to be used for winter sledding and warm-weather climbing and play.

Dads Mark Wilson and Will Grant have joined forces with Kindergarten teacher TJ Decker to create and implement landscaping plans for the modified campus.





Next week's activities may include sewer excavation, site prep work and concrete cutting in the basement.

A School Year Celebrated

A great year at Clark Fork School ended June 8 with a graduation ceremony held at next year's temporary location, Mt. Jumbo School. A sunny and fun afternoon was spent celebrating the kids and year's accomplishments, and everyone enjoyed a great potluck lunch, visiting and watching the kids at play on wonderful playground at the temporary school building.

Teachers and parents participated in a successful moving night June 6 to transfer the preschool to new locations in the former kindergarten and primary classrooms, and to move the kindergarten and primary classroom contents out to Mt. Jumbo School in East Missoula. Spirits were high despite damp weather as boxes, furniture and supplies were shuttled to new homes. It was a team effort with most moving being done in just over four hours thanks to the organized teachers who had sorted and packed so the process was fun and efficient. The move night had a special Clark Fork cooperative feel to it - moms and dads packing, disassembling, chatting and laughing, kids playing and observing the action. The community really rallied to get the job done and start this expansion project off in such a positive way.