Sunnyside Environmental School

Sitton Elementary was among the schools that had a new roof installed this past summer. (Photo by David Mayne)

Sitton Elementary was among the schools that had a new roof installed this past summer. (Photo by David Mayne)

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Replacing leaking and deteriorated roofs in Portland Public Schools has been a priority for voters since the 2012 School Building Improvement Bond. Twenty-one new roof projects were completed through the 2012 Bond, and that effort continues thanks to the 2017 Health and Safety Bond.

Roof projects have recently been completed at Beverly Cleary K-8 at Fernwood, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary, Rigler Elementary and Sitton Elementary. Half of the large roof at Jackson Middle School was also upgraded in 2019, with the rest to be finished in summer 2020.

New roofs provide an important seismic upgrade to schools
Roof replacements increase the longevity of the building, improving energy efficiency and indoor air quality while reducing the costs to maintain schools in the long run. These projects also include new skylights, flashings and sheet metal. 

Roof-level seismic deficiencies are also addressed through this work. The work provides important seismic strengthening to the school by creating a roof that is tied together as a single unit and securely connected to the walls of the building. Parapets along the roof are also braced.

Roof work leads to seismic improvement grants
These roof level seismic projects enable PPS to apply for state funding to seismically retrofit the entire school. The state of Oregon’s Seismic Rehabilitation Grant Program (SRGP) provides funding for schools to bring buildings up to current seismic safety standards.

Although SRGP money is typically not enough on its own to fully upgrade a school, PPS has been able to leverage the work already completed through these roof projects to win several of these grants. Alameda, Lewis and Hayhurst elementary schools have been awarded SRGP funds and received retrofits due to their roof work done through the 2012 Bond. 

More roof projects are being planned for the years ahead, and an announcement will be made in the spring highlighting the upcoming summer 2020 projects. For more information, please visit the PPS Bond program page. 

-David Mayne, Bond Communications Manager