For more information on SOASTC: www.soastc.org

MERLIN — Big plans are on the drawing board for a large area of underdeveloped industrial land. The Ausland Group has been working with representatives from Rendata Industrial Park for the past six months to create a master plan for 110 acres of industrial land and 60 acres of residential property.

“This is the largest unincorporated opportunity for industrial expansion in Oregon,” said Aaron Ausland, chief executive officer at Ausland, which is based in Grants Pass. “This is a bright spot of something that’s going to transpire for the community in the immediate future and for the next two to 10 years.”

Five businesses currently operate on the Rendata site. Ausland said the site is operating at only 25 percent of capacity. “The use is fairly minimal,” Ausland said. “There’s a few things happening out there, but it’s not nearly representative of the type of the employment in Josephine County.”

The plan includes 110 acres of industrial land surrounding two ponds and a riparian zone, about 30 acres on the hillside for cottage-style businesses where the owners can live next to their workshops, and 30 acres of mobile living and recreational vehicle parking for tourists or employees who work at the industrial site. The industrial park offers efficient rail and freeway access, one of its important selling points. “One of main concepts is that there’s a lot of people in our county currently operating small scale businesses out of their homes, illegally,” Ausland said. “This would give people a legal, affordable option where they are also around other businesses that complement each other. “A big part of the residential component is to create affordable living for people either living and working in the upper area,” Ausland said.

Kelsy Ausland, principal engineer, said the master plan was rurally designed, keeping the area spacious, and preserving the natural trees and vegetation in the area. The plan includes an area for a market, laundry services, and other services. Also, within the plan Ausland designed, the “wigwam” left behind from the previous mill will remain and be preserved as a centerpiece to the development. “We wanted to keep true to the area’s history,” Kelsy Ausland said.

The park is zoned Community Industrial, which means the land can be used for “a broad range of intensive institutional and industrial uses that are likely to involve significant land use impacts”. Land within this zone are areas that are now developed, or historically developed, with heavier institutional or industrial uses.

Ausland is having the site reviewed by Business Oregon for a “shovel-ready” Industrial Site Readiness and Certification, which will place the zone on a national map stating it’s ready for development. Already, there has been some interest from outside companies looking to relocate to the area. “We’re talking to a lot of green industries, manufacturing components for home building,” said Patrick Engel, chief operating officer of Rendata. Engel said that Michael Gandee, of Green Builders Institute in Medford, has been working on recruiting companies to Rendata. Gandee didn’t return a call for comment this morning, but told the Daily Courier in September that he was working with a number of start-up businesses in the “green” industry that were looking at Rendata. Engel predicted that businesses at Rendata will generate 300 new jobs over the course of the next three years.

Reach reporter Linsay Cathey at 541-474-3722 or linsaycathey@thedailycourier.com. More about this project can be found on-line at: http://auslandgroup.com/projects/rendata-industrial-park-masterplanning-and-shovel-ready-certification-grants-pass-oregon/?cat=commercial

By: Sustainable Northwest

The school district selected the Ausland Design and Construction Group of Grants Pass, Oregon to complete the installation and commissioning. Aaron Ausland, CEO, sees that biomass heat could be a new growth area for his company. He noted that, “The project was small and fairly complex but we have a lot of experience with heating, cooling, electrical process work so; this project was a perfect fit for us. Biomass boilers are a niche market but we are excited about helping to broaden its use.”

This year the Three Rivers School District in southern Oregon faces a $2 million budget shortfall but is turning to biomass heat to help reduce energy costs. The district is installing wood pellet boilers at Evergreen Elementary and Illinois Valley High School to provide the school’s heating and hot water needs. The $650,000 investment in new woody biomass heating systems will take over for two aging heating oil boilers and is expected to save the school district about $30,000 per year in heating bills. Because the value of the energy savings will be greater than the loan payments, the new heating systems will be net-positive to the district’s budget. The district used state grant funding and a low interest loan to cover the capital costs.

Multiple benefits woody biomass heating systems are attractive solutions for several reasons. The fuel is clean burning, renewable, low-carbon, and can be sourced within the state. Sourcing the fuel from the woods can improve forest health and decrease the risk of wildfire. Providing the fuel offers long-term employment for rural communities. As the fuel is produced in state, the systems offer independence from fossil fuel energy price hikes. Perhaps most importantly, biomass heating systems offer a cost savings compared to heating oil and propane systems.

When the school district began planning to replace the aging heating oil boilers at several schools, it made sense to consider using woody biomass to fuel the new systems. TRSD Board member Jim Weaver spearheaded the idea for the district. A computer programmer who lives in the woods and off the grid, Jim’s leadership for was key to making it happen. He noted, for me, the idea of supporting the local forest sector is part of the big appeal of biomass. We have a big problem with surplus fuel in the forest. We looked closely at chip-based systems because we wanted our heating choice to help foster a market for the by-products of restoration and fuels reduction.

At Risk to Rising Fuel Costs

Late in November of 2008 heating oil prices began to rise steeply and suddenly the district was paying significantly more for heat than previous years. According to Jim Weaver, It really has us concerned, with all the fuel we were burning and looking at rapidly escalating prices, we had no control—we really got caught.

In 2008, when crude was shot up to $147 a barrel, heating went up too—that jumped right out at us, it affected our balance for the year. There was nothing we could do about it. The sudden spike in fuel prices put the district’s vulnerability to rising fuel costs into stark relief and the $4 a gallon prices catalyzed them into action.

Improving Forest Health

Many observers view biomass utilization as a way to help clean up forests and reduce the forest fuel that would feed the next wildfire. Called “fuels reduction” by forest managers, this involves removing brush and small trees near communities to help slow the spread of wildfire. With no market for the by-products of fuels reduction, the material is typically piled and burned in the forest. Converting this material to wood chips for biomass heating systems would reduce the risk of wildfire, decrease air pollution, and lower energy costs.

Informational Energy Audit

Contributing to the health of the forest around them is but one challenge facing the school district. Over the past two years, the district’s budget and enrollment at several schools had been falling. The school board and the staff, led by Superintendent Dan Huber-Kantola began seeking ways to save money while maintaining services. “When we looked at our buildings we found that they were pretty big energy hogs,” said Superintendent Kantola. The energy audit recommended replacing several oil-fired boilers that were at or past the end of their useful lives. The district considered installing biomass systems but the paybacks were not attractive enough at that time. “All of us on the board are steeped in the idea of saving money for the district. Nobody on the board advocated keeping the existing oil boilers and nobody had to be convinced about the value of woody biomass, we just needed to make sure it was a sound investment for the district,” said Weaver.

ARRA Funding

For the Three Rivers School District, the extra incentive appeared in the form of grant funding from the Oregon Department of Energy’s (ODOE) State Energy Program. When ODOE announced that funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) were able to support renewable energy projects, the district was ready and the Willamette Education Service District (WESD) was there to help.

“These pellet boiler systems give us reliable, clean burning heat and we are not at the mercy of fossil fuel prices.”

— Jim Weaver, TRSD Board

The WESD Energy Service Manager, Jim Howell, assists school districts across the state realize energy savings and adopt renewable energy. He knew the district was interested in biomass heat and energy savings. He also knew that they wanted results from their investment. “My job was to help make sure that the equipment they installed work as intended. None of us wanted any surprises—we had to be very sharp with the district’s finances.” So, in the spirit of learning and discovery they did what so many pioneers have done; they hit the road.

Biomass Boiler Road Show

When considering the new biomass system the maintenance staff wanted to understand the operation and maintenance duties. Jim Howell organized a road trip to northeastern Oregon and western Idaho, to visit biomass systems at Enterprise High School, Burns High School, Harney County Hospital, and Council High School.

“As the facility manager for both schools I wanted to learn as much as I could about these system before we made a decision. I talked to the maintenance guy, the installers, everybody I could—to learn how much work managing these systems would be. What I learned from them really put my mind at ease,” said Jim Bunge of Three Rivers School District.

Pellets as Fuel Source

The long two-state trek proved to be invaluable. After visiting facilities that burned wood. Bear Mountain Forest Products will supply bulk pellets to both facilities from their plant in Brownsville, Oregon.

Grants and Procurement

The district applied for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding, through the State Energy Program funding and received $504,353 to offset the costs of installing two pellet boiler systems. The district matched the grant funds with a low-interest Qualified Zone Academy Bond (QZAB) issued through the Oregon Department of Energy as well as Business Energy Tax Credits.The grant funds lowered the amount of the loan required to the point where the expected energy savings are greater than the a payment, making the whole investment net-positive to the school district.

Many school districts, including Three Rivers, have used Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPC) as a cost-neutral mechanism to finance energy conservation and renewable energy projects. The Three River School District implemented their initial lighting and conservation improvements using an ESPC contract with excellent results. When considering how best to procure the design and installation of two biomass boilers, they looked at both the ESPC and direct procurement models. “We elected to go out for competitive bidding as we thought it would get us a better price. If you have the expertise to know what you are looking for and the funding, then a competitive bidding process may bring you greater value,” noted Superintended Dan Kantola.

The school district selected the Ausland Design and Construction Group of Grants Pass, Oregon to complete the installation and commissioning. Aaron Ausland, CEO, sees that biomass heat could be a new growth area for his company. He noted that, “The project was small and fairly complex but we have a lot of experience with heating, cooling, electrical process work so; this project was a perfect fit for us. Biomass boilers are a niche market but we are excited about helping to broaden its use.”

Short Term Savings Long Term Independence

To Jim Weaver and the Three Rivers School District, the idea of switching to biomass heat makes sense in the short run and in the long-term. Jim highlighted the district’s newfound energy independence, “These pellet boiler systems give us reliable, clean burning heat and we are not at the mercy of fossil fuel prices.” The new systems is expected to be operational in June 2011.

Ausland Group led this seismic and architectural renovations for Josephine County.

By Stacy D. Stumbo of the Daily Courier

A maintenance worker put the “JO” back in JOSEPHINE COUNTY over the weekend.

After decades of exposure to the elements, the gold label on the front of the Josephine County Courthouse at 500 Sixth St. in downtown Grants Pass had started to fade.

“We’ve known we needed to do something for the past couple of years,” said Rich Halliday, the county’s property facilities manager.

The three-story marble core of local democracy was constructed in 1916, and no one remembers the last time the letters were repainted, Halliday said. It may have been more than 50 years ago.
“We weren’t even sure what type of paint was used to do it,” Halliday said.

Maintenance workers wondered if the paint was gold leaf, like that used on the Golden Pioneer that stands atop the Oregon Capitol in Salem. Some theorized it might be actual gold that was recessed in the marble. The truth was revealed after a worker leaned over the building’s parapet and investigated.

“Turns out, it was just paint,” Halliday said. “But it was really good paint with lots of lead in it. Obviously, we can’t use lead paint nowadays, but we got very high quality gold paint and it will look just as good.”

The shiny new paint job comes just as the county completes a $2.4 million improvement project at the courthouse, paid for with bonds backed by the Oregon State Lottery. Improvements included installation of fire sprinkler and alarm systems, lighting upgrades and building security.
The project began in April.

“Ausland Group wrote the grant, oversaw design, and is now administering construction on behalf of the District“.

By Patti Richter of the Daily Courier

APPLEGATE — Nearly a century after it was built, Applegate School is getting some much-needed help.

In March 2010, Applegate School was chosen as a recipient of an Oregon Emergency Management seismic rehabilitation grant. The $846,000 grant is being used to shore up the brick building and install steel structural supports.

Construction started on the original Applegate School in 1910 and its doors were opened on Dec. 12, 1912. District officials decided to abandon the historic building in 2000 when structural engineers determined the building wasn’t sound. At the time, the four large classrooms on the upper level housed grades one through four. Students were moved into temporary portable buildings, which are still in use. Grades five through eight meet in a newer building on the same grounds, while the older building is currently used as a storage facility.

Since April, crews have torn off the roof to make room for steel support beams that will protect against an earthquake. The beams have been installed and now work is focusing on a new roof.
“There are a lot more unique attributes in a building this age,” said Daniel Ronda, project superintendent for the Ausland Group Construction Services, which is handling the project. “The construction was unique and there were a few things we really had to overcome.”

One of those was finding the end of the old building’s support beams. Workers had to dig by hand through rocky ground up to 5 feet deep in several locations to find the end of the support beams and then go another 16 inches deeper for the new steel supports. They then poured new concrete.

“At some points, we had guys digging under the building in little caves with shovels,” Ronda said. “That took several weeks to do.”

The steel beams weigh about 900 pounds each and the columns that support them are around 1,200 pounds each. Each of the steel beams and columns were lowered in through the roof using a crane. “The wood and steel ties together to create a seismically sound structure,” Ronda added.
Crews are also planning to upgrade the school’s mechanical systems, replacing old windows and a few other cosmetic items, said Principal Stephanie Allen-Hart.

“We are in the process of figuring out how much it will all cost,” she said. Allen-Hart added they were hoping to recruit volunteers who specialize in these areas to donate their time to help with the finishing touches.

Workers were also careful to remove the large bell in the school’s bell tower and ceiling boards covered with signatures from former students. Last year’s eighth-graders were able to sign the bell, like many of the students who attended Applegate before them.

Ronda believes Ausland will finish the project in November. Allen-Hart said counselors and custodians will likely move into the building’s first floor once it is available. Students will get to use the classrooms in the building next fall, just in time for Applegate’s 100th anniversary celebration.

“Ausland has been fantastic and worked around our schedule. The noise hasn’t been too bad,” said Allen-Hart. “Some of our younger students love coming out on recess to watch them work. It’s been fun to see this kind of activity because the building has been off limits to our students for 10 years. It is going to be nice to have students inside it again.”

Supporters of the Holly Theatre hope to go prime time with their restoration efforts if Medford officials agree to provide $300,000 in seed money.

The Jefferson Public Radio Foundation has requested from the Medford Urban Renewal Agency board a matching $100,000 improvement grant to restore the front of the building to what it looked like when the theater opened in 1930.

The facade grant will be discussed during a MURA meeting at noon Thursday at City Hall, 411 W. Eighth St. It would pay for a new neon marquis, new front doors and a neon mast at the corner of the building.

In addition, JPR, which purchased the building last year, wants another $200,000 to repair a broken truss supporting the roof and to perform other demolition and cleanup work. MURA had set aside $200,000 in its budget to help with the Holly restoration, though it was anticipating possibly awarding the money sometime next year.

JPR undertook a similar project in Redding, Calif., fully restoring the Cascade Theatre.

Ron Kramer, executive director of JPR, said preliminary structural analysis of the truss indicates it can be saved and the roof won’t have to be demolished as originally feared.

“We don’t believe the truss will require $200,000 to repair,” he said.

A $37,500 structural analysis of the broken truss and others and design for the repairs will be conducted in the near future. The design could include a cable-tension system used to repair a cracked beam in the Bowmer Theatre in Ashland that cost the Oregon Shakespeare Festival $500,000. However, the truss at the Holly should be cheaper because it doesn’t support the same kind of loads.

Kramer said the truss, damaged by a leaking roof, needs to be repaired so that JPR can bring in tours that will help with fundraising activities.

If JPR receives both grants from the city, it will help boost fundraising efforts, he said.

“The city would be making a formal statement that it is recommending the Holly,” Kramer said.

In 2002, Medford officials ordered the building vacated after the truss snapped.

Since then, the failed truss has been held up by makeshift supports.

Chris Reising, Medford’s public works director, said he has recommended the Holly have limited occupancy at present because of structural issues with the roof, though JPR helped take some of the weight off the truss by removing a lot of the old ceiling.

Once the truss is fixed, groups of about 10 could be allowed inside the building for touring, Reising said.

He said public works crews likely will take a look at the proposed repairs that will be recommended by the engineer hired by JPR.

The MURA board previously rejected JPR’s request for a facade improvement grant primarily because JPR didn’t own the building at the time.

Kramer said structural analysis of the building, which has reinforced concrete walls, has been surprisingly good.

So far, Kramer said JPR estimates the building can be restored and improved with modern lighting and sound equipment for $3.5 million.

JPR has cleaned out the building, fixed the lighting and made other improvements that give a better idea of its former grandeur. Since the cleanup, JPR has shown the building to individual City Council members and other local officials.

By Oct. 1, the JPR board will select an architect for the project.

Once the facade and truss work are completed, Kramer hopes to hold a dedication ceremony next spring that will give local residents a firsthand look at the interior.

George Kramer, a preservation consultant and Ron’s brother, said enough remnants of the Spanish colonial building designed by local architect Frank Clark have been found to give a good idea what it formerly looked like.

“We’ve found some of the original carpet, which we can replicate,” he said. “The general colors were greens, reds and golds.”

Original light fixtures have been found, though Kramer and others are looking for other features from the old building, including the “Ladies” and “Gentlemen” signs next to the bathrooms.

The theater itself was designed to provide the feel of being in the middle of a Spanish courtyard complete with balconies.

“We can make this a truly restored, state-of-the-art theater,” Kramer said.

Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476, or e-mail dmann@mailtribune.com.

By Richard Read, The Oregonian , Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Developers plan one of the nation’s first all-solar communities near Grants Pass, perhaps including a solar-module manufacturing plant employing 150 in recession-scarred Josephine County.

But details, including the amount and source of total investment, remained vague Wednesday. And those involved occasionally contradicted one another on specifics of the development.

Managers of QSolar Ltd., a Canadian company, said they’d landed a $3.25 million order to supply solar modules for 800 homes and commercial buildings. A consultant on the project said that it’d be more like 400 homes, many of them technically park-model recreational vehicles, but that German investors had grand designs for the property.

“Signing a deal that large for that large a portfolio of homes to be done altogether is relatively rare,” said Shayle Kann, Boston-based managing director for solar at GTM Research, a market analysis company.

A master plan features about 400 so-called park cabins, small pre-fab houses resembling permanent structures, as well as conventional homes and about 550,000 square feet of commercial space. The project, to be built primarily by military veterans, would pioneer cottage-industry development, mixing residential construction with backyard space for light commercial use.

Michael Smith, business development manager at Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development Inc., said the 150 solar-module manufacturing positions would replace jobs in China, where QSolar makes photovoltaic cells. The jobs would be welcome in a county with 12.1 percent unemployment, he said.

“I’ve got two companies I’m working with now, including this one, that want to bring back manufacturing from China,” Smith said. “One hundred percent of their reasoning is quality issues.”

An exception is Andreas Tapakoudes, chief executive of QSolar, which issued a news release Wednesday on the Rendata deal. Neither Tapakoudes nor Gandee returned repeated phone calls about the project.

QSolar, founded in the United Kingdom in 2007, manufactures panels in Shanghai. Its shares, which trade on the Canadian National Stock Exchange, were up 2 cents Wednesday at 27 cents.

QSolar’s release said the project would begin with delivery of two sample houses, followed by volume deliveries beginning early next year. It said the company would supply 10,000 modules, or 2.5 megawatts.

Bird, a former Grants Pass attorney, said two German investors, Walter Ebert and Eddy Dienhart, bought the property near Merlin from Stimson Lumber years ago after a sawmill closed there.

Ausland Group president Aaron Ausland said his Grants Pass consulting firm produced the project master plan. Residential development on a bluff would combine with commercial development to create a unique synergy on the 180-acre property, Ausland said.

–Richard Read

Source:

Solar Housing on Oregon Live

QSolar Website

APPLEGATE, Ore. — A historic Southern Oregon school building that has been closed for nearly a decade is getting new life.

The hundred-year-old Applegate School is undergoing seismic retrofitting, thanks to a nearly million dollar state grant.

The sounds of saws, hammers and shovels fill the old Applegate School this summer. After a decade of sitting empty for fear of a possible collapse should an earthquake hit, the century old building is getting a rebirth.

The Applegate School has been part of the three rivers district for several years and houses kindergarten through 8th grade classes. Right now the old front porch is gone, but most of the bricks have been cleaned and saved to be re-used again. In the basement, workers are cutting through concrete and digging out the rocky ground below so that steel and concrete footings can be poured on, which to mount steel framing. The construction will also provide more space for students that was lost when it was closed.

A key element of this project is salvaging as much of the old materials as possible. The bricks, which were undoubtedly made here locally, and this clear vertical-grain fir flooring. All of these pieces are integral parts of putting the old building back together.

Aaron Ausland says the project should be finished by November, with move-in likely after the holiday vacation.

By Ron Brown

June 20, 2011

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To make sure there will be water for users in much of the Rogue Valley, a Grants Pass-based contractor is doing seismic upgrade work on the Robert Duff Water Treatment Plant near White City.

The plant augments water supplies from the Rogue River when demand exceeds the supply for Big Butte Springs Water.

Aaron Ausland says his crews have met a critical deadline for being sure the Duff Plant is ready for summer water demands.

Medford Water Commission Construction Administrator, Andy Huffman, says the upgrades will help ensure the plantzcontinues to operate even if an earthquake hits, winter or summer, or if there’s a major break in the line from Big Butte Springs.

By Ron Brown

April 6, 2011

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