Albertina Kerr Project Phase II; Louise Renovation Update, April 2015

Albertina Kerr Project Phase II; Louise Building $2.7M Update & Addition, March 2015. Info here!
Artist's concept: Louise Building New Addition, Gresham OR. Click to enlarge.

Phase II; Louise Renovation Update, April 2015
A message to our neighbors from Pam Krecklow, Real Estate & Construction Manager, Albertina Kerr:

Greetings,

Well, all I can say is that the campus is not gracefully moving into the 21st century but the good news is, it is happening rather it likes it or not.

So far we have been through a flood, a major power outage, and are at four and counting "surprise" water pipe mishaps; we have found three buried tanks (one a 5,000 gallon oil tank,) an oil pit, and a fire pit; cut one alarm phone line, discovered and investigated no less than 5 "mysterious" buried pipes of different varieties, had a fire meter removed instead of a domestic water meter, decommissioned an 800' well, and wrestled with numerous HUGE boulders; freed three spirits, found two fairies, and a couple of interesting artifacts since we began construction first of last year.

But in spite of it all, we keep moving forward. On Monday (Apr 20, 2015) we will be taking one more visible stride toward progress as we begin paving the new Tucker parking lot. Plus if you haven't checked out the Louise Building lately take a quick look, the addition is framed in and we are starting work on the new green roof. We are currently dry walling the inside of the historic building and will be pouring the new front entry here next week. The windows have started to be returned and with the nice weather here we will be painting the exterior in earnest.

A heads up, once the Tucker lot gets paved we will be moving ALL front of campus parking to that lot so that we can get the Chapel and School lot completed. Then we will be moving our attention to the big lot at the back of the Chapel.

I also have to apologize for the length of the power outage to the red shed. PGE is expected end of next week to get our new power run to the new transformer and then we can get power back to the Louise and the shed. A huge thanks for everyone's patience on that one.

I know everybody is anxious to know when we are going to be done and I wish I had a confident answer but I don't. The best I can say is at this point, everyone is dedicated to getting done as quickly as is humanly possible and with all the progress we are making I do expect us to be done early July. The surest sign I have of this is that I am actually starting to turn my attention toward furnishing the new building and in my world that is as good as sign as any that we are headed toward the finish line.

Still have a ways to go and not sure what the site will throw at us next but we should be down to a few months and the majority of the mess and my throbbing headaches will be over. Everyone keep your fingers crossed.

If you have any questions, concerns, issues, or etc. please don't hesitate to give me a call.

Pam Krecklow
Albertina Kerr

More Info
For more info contact Pam Krecklow, Real Estate & Construction Manager, Albertina Kerr, at 503-869-2596.

Background

Built in 1925 as a juvenile hospital offering maternity services for dependent girls, the historic Albertina Kerr Louise Home will undergo its first major renovation in more than 30 years.

The 3-story 12,000 sq.ft. Georgian style building is the oldest and most recognizable building on the Albertina Kerr Gresham campus at 722 NE 162nd Ave.

The Louise Home will retain its historic structure and facade and receive a full interior renovation including seismic, structural and ADA building updates. A modern 2-story 4,000 sq.ft. addition between the two wings on the east side of the building will complete the renovation providing much needed space for Albertina Kerr programs and support staff.

While preliminary work has already begun, the planned start for the renovation is December 2014, with project completion scheduled for September 2015.

Albertina Kerr’s campus is currently undergoing a major revitalization. This fall the non-profit recently celebrated the completion of a 6,000 square foot expansion of the Crisis Psychiatric Care unit, a new 4,500 square foot Intensive Treatment group home and the addition of a second neighborhood group home nearby. To complete the 10-acre campus overhaul, the historic Louise Home will be expanded and renovated into a modern hub for community-based child mental health services and foster care.

The completed Campus for Children’s Mental Health will bring together, at a single site, leading children’s mental health practitioners, critical program services and facilities that are Albertina Kerr’s hallmark.

To learn more about Kerr’s services visit AlbertinaKerr.org.

Related Content