Meeker, Stories

Neenan president apologizes

Randy Myers, president of The Neenan Company, apologized to the school board and the community for the current situation at the new Meeker Elementary School at a workshop held in the high school cafeteria Tuesday. The Neenan Company designed and built the new school but designed the building with an occupancy category of I instead of a category III, the required code for schools. Myers said the repair project is his company’s number one priority, at no additional cost to the taxpayers for the inconvenience.

MEEKER I With the Meeker High School cafeteria serving as the new board room, more than 50 taxpayers joined the Meeker Board of Education, The Neenan Company, SCI, Inc., and Vanir for a public workshop Tuesday to discuss the current status of the new elementary school, the needed repairs and a timeline for completion.“It’s important that we have accurate information,” school board president Mary Strang said at the beginning of the workshop. “The overriding goal of the board is to find out what is wrong and to fix it.”Jim West of Vanir, the school district’s “owner’s rep” said the repair designs by SCI are almost finished and will be sent to the state next week for building permits. West asked the school board to authorize The Neenan Company to start working on the repairs once the permits are received.West also said the structural report completed by SCI will be posted on the school district’s website, as well as the presentation given by SCI and the repair drawings, for anyone who would like to read them.Wayne Muir, president of SCI, said the repair drawings are “95 percent” complete. All drawings and calculations will be  reviewed by an independent company and by The Neenan Company. The Neenan Company, as the engineers of record on the project, will have to approve and accept the repair designs.According to Muir, the occupancy category for a school should be a III, as required by the International Building Code of 2006, but The Neenan Company designed the building with an occupancy category of I. The mistake was not recognized until Aug. 2, 2011, when the board decided to remove students from the new building because of safety concerns.Randy Myers, president of The Neenan Company, apologized to the school board and the community for the mistakes and said Meeker’s elementary school is his company’s number one priority.“The primary focus has been to get the building repaired correctly and completely as quickly as possible to get kids safely back into the building, not pointing fingers. We can deal with that down the road,” West said in the workshop.The repairs include additional structural bracing on both the first and second floors. The footings in the foundation will need additional concrete in 11 places to handle the increased loads. Mid-March 2012 is the estimated date of completion for the repairs.School board member Paul Nielson asked Myers “what is Neenan’s stance on the additional expenses?” Myers replied, “We want to make you whole in the end and do what’s right for the school, the board and the community.”Board member Jerry Oldland said he is “extremely disappointed because nothing was done with the slab floor,” which has areas with cracks between it and the foundation. “I’m hoping there is not something else that causes problems down the road after warranty.”It was decided that a geo-tech company will complete additional soils tests before any repairs are made, since the repairs are based on the original samples.Taxpayer Gary Zellers said he was “madder than hell,” that the building was designed as a category I instead of a category III and wanted to know the difference in cost between the two categories.“The school did not pay for something they did not get,” West said.“We can’t change what happened. A terrible mistake was made but the buck stops here,” Strang said.

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Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
  • Read part three of the story of M.T. Streeter in this week’s edition of History Lessons! Find it in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
  • Meeker FFA Chapter members competed at the District Leadership Development Event in Craig, Colorado, this month. Top row from left to right: Eva Scritchfield, Charlie Rogers, Alan Rivera, Trent Sanders, Koy Weber, Orion Musser, Said Rodriguez, Carlos Carrillo, Aidan Tapia, Hayden Garcia, Tristan Rollins, Mathew Willey, Quentin Simpson. Middle row: Sidney Keetch, Aurora Stallings, Sydnie Ross, Ava Nay, Lili Piper, Leah Wood. Bottom Row: Jaicee Simmons, Kailynn Watson, Cody Richardson, Kayla Castillo, Braydin Raley, Autumn Stallings, Aimee Shults, Emily Hamm. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
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It’s getting late, do you know where your kids are? Read all the Rio Happenings for this week in print or online at ht1885.com.
It’s getting late, do you know where your kids are? Read all the Rio Happenings for this week in print or online at ht1885.com.
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Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line.  The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale.
Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line. The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale. Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch. See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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Read part three of the story of M.T. Streeter in this week’s edition of History Lessons! Find it in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
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View on Instagram |
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Choose-your-own-adventure…. Hear from our Editor in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
Choose-your-own-adventure…. Hear from our Editor in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
4 days ago
View on Instagram |
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A crew from the Flat Tops Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation joined forces last summer to remove obsolete fences to improve habitat for wildlife. Read the full story and the foundation’s update from their 30th Anniversary meeting in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
A crew from the Flat Tops Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation joined forces last summer to remove obsolete fences to improve habitat for wildlife. Read the full story and the foundation’s update from their 30th Anniversary meeting in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
5 days ago
View on Instagram |
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Black Sulphur Tavern held a grand opening and ribbon cutting for their new business at 364 Seventh St. The space has been renovated with several TVs and games and provides a fun, friendly atmosphere to watch your favorite sports team and enjoy a burger and wings. Owners Frank Maestas and Pat Maestas are pictured with their new staff and Chamber of Commerce representatives Stephanie Hanson, Trudy Burri and Margie Joy. Follow Black Sulphur Tavern on Facebook. Their hours are Wednesday and Thursday 3-9 p.m., Friday 3 p.m. - 1 a.m., Saturday 11-1 a.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to midnight.
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The winning teams and individuals for the 18th annual White River Community Association Buy-Fly Fishing Tournament are as follows. Individual top weight catch was Dave Metrovich and longest fish was Kevin Massey. First place team won by Rio Blanco Abstract: Erik Eckman, Adam Parrett, Dave Metrovich and Wayne Kirkpatrick. Second place team was Drake Consulting: Travis Kaiser, John Douglas, Tony Bartolomucci and Bob Brandeberry. Third place team Mr. Rogers and the Hood (accepted by Doug Rogers) Gary Rogers, Mark Beauchamp, Kyle Schutte and Rick Gunter. The white fish have been frozen and will be served at the annual White River Community Association fish fry fundraiser in June.
6 days ago
View on Instagram |
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Cowboy Carson Klinzmann on the mound for Meeker at Suplizio Field in Grand Junction last Saturday. Meeker took on the 4A Rifle Bears, losing 11-1, and the Basalt Longhorns, losing 7-3. Read the recap online at ht1885.com.
Cowboy Carson Klinzmann on the mound for Meeker at Suplizio Field in Grand Junction last Saturday. Meeker took on the 4A Rifle Bears, losing 11-1, and the Basalt Longhorns, losing 7-3. Read the recap online at ht1885.com.
6 days ago
View on Instagram |
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