Stepping Stones Alliance continues to make strides toward the completion of the transitional housing project near Umatilla.
According to Stepping Stones Alliance board chair Cathy Lloyd, the construction of the Conestoga huts for Practical Assistance Through Housing, or Project PATH, has exceeded expectations.
“We’ve got 21 Conestoga huts ready to move on-site when originally we had planned to start with only 20,” she said. “We actually did our last big build on May 6.”
While no structures stand on the land for PATH, significant progress has been made in the assembly of the various structures the project revolves around.
In addition to upward of 20 huts, volunteers have assisted in the assembly of the project’s navigation center, a double-wide manufactured home that will provide resources to the transient population seeking assistance from Stepping Stones Alliance.
“We did some major builds in the fall,” Lloyd said. “During that time, we mainly set up the components of these structures — the floors, the front ends, back ends, decks.”
The nonprofit also received a boost in the spring from volunteers through the high school, Amazon Web Services and some of the churches to help assemble the pieces. Lloyd said there were between 20 and 40 people volunteering every Saturday starting in April.
She said there were hindrances keeping the assembled units from being transported to the eventual PATH location, including a need for septic and electrical utilities and a cultural study of the land, in case it had any historic or cultural significance.
“Since the cultural study has been done, the state has until May 17 to say if we need to do anything else,” she said.
Lloyd added that Umatilla City Manager David Stockdale doesn’t believe the cultural study will provide any hindrances to the project.
On May 18, she said, the city of Umatilla and the county will have crews ready to start leveling the ground and installing septic and electrical. Once the groundwork has been done, Loyd said structures could be transported to the location as early as June.
In the meantime, volunteers for the Stepping Stones Alliance will be finishing painting and staining structures.
While PATH already has eclipsed its goal of 20 Conestoga huts for the location, Lloyd said they weren’t finished, with more huts yet to be assembled.
“We’re not going to have another big build day until after we’ve opened, so probably in July,” she said.
All in all, Lloyd was satisfied with the progress being made on the transitional housing project.
“We’re excited to be this close to being done,” she said. “We committed to having 20 Conestoga huts ready for opening day and we already have 21, and there’s a good likelihood that we’ll have, maybe, 25 ready for opening day.”
If you people think this is the answer, your nuts. Once word gets out you won’t be able to build them fast enough, QUIT CONDONING THEIR LIVE STYLE, IF THE ARE NOT WELCOME HERE THEY EILL LEAVE AND SPREAD THE WORD, But actions are going to bring many more and our beautiful areas will look just like Portland and criminals and drugs will be hereindtoves.
Thank you for your efforts. This type of project is very important to all of us.
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