Case Studies
APPLEGATE SCHOOL:
A COMMUNITY’S LIABILITY BECOMES A POSSIBILITY
FOR RURAL SCHOOL KIDS
The Liability
A 100-year-old historic, but condemned, school building sat empty for ten years in Applegate, Oregon. Unable to occupy its former school and lacking funds to build a new one, Applegate School had to use makeshift modular units for its students.
The Possibility
Aaron Ausland found a way to bring the building back to life. Drawing from their strong history of relationships with funding organizations, Ausland Group was acquainted with a grantor capable of funding the needed seismic renovation.
Together with Kara Olmo, owner of Wooldridge Creek Winery in the Applegate Valley, they wrote the grant. Ausland provided all of the complex technical details – including engineering solutions and benefit-cost analyses. Kara wrote the needs analysis for the school. The rest is history.
A Limitless Future
Ausland completed the project through to construction and the kids in Applegate, Oregon have their historic school building open for classes.
“We would not have been successful without Ausland’s relationship with the funding organization and the high level of credibility and clarity they brought to the technical requirements.”
–Kara Olmo
Owner, Wooldridge Creek Winery
Community Advocate
“When Aaron approached us with the possibility that we might once again use the old Applegate School building, we were ecstatic! We thought we would have to raze the building and instead he had an idea to restore it! Ausland brought new energy into our community.”
–Dan Huber-Kantola
Superintendent
Three Rivers School District
“Kara Olmo works tirelessly for the benefit of the community. Her team wrote a compelling history and story about Applegate School that masterfully complemented our technical portion of the grant application.”
–Aaron Ausland, CCM