The project: Seismically strengthen and rehabilitate Central Linn High School’s gymnasium and cafeteria with upgrades to enhance life safety, building longevity, and community resilience.

The goal: To extend the life of a vital community facility and improve safety by addressing longstanding seismic vulnerabilities and roof deficiencies, all within the constraints of a grant-funded budget.

Project features: The rehabilitation included strategic seismic upgrades and comprehensive roof improvements to address both structural safety and ongoing water intrusion issues. The scope included installation of new concrete shear walls at key locations within the building; over-framing of low-slope roof areas to improve drainage and eliminate leaks; implementation of a new 30-year roofing system; and structural upgrades focused on minimizing impact to usable interior space.

Design approach: IMEG collaborated closely with the school district and the CM/GC to develop a high-impact yet minimally invasive seismic strengthening strategy. New concrete shear walls were added in storage and other underutilized spaces to preserve the building’s full functionality. In addition, the roof, unchanged since the building’s original 1957 construction, was reimagined to solve persistent water issues. The team introduced significant over-framing to create positive roof slopes and specified a long-life roofing system to protect the facility well into the future.

Challenge: Tight budget and limited contingency funding typical of school districts created significant pressure when the project exceeded cost expectations at 100% construction documents. Solution: IMEG worked diligently with the District and CM/GC to re-evaluate and value engineer the design without compromising safety or performance. By creatively rethinking material choices, construction phasing, and detailing, the project team successfully brought costs below the grant award threshold, ensuring zero additional funding was required from the District.

Project outcome: The seismically strengthened gym and cafeteria now serve as a safer, more resilient hub for the Halsey community. With improved drainage, a new roofing system, and modern structural reinforcements, the building’s lifespan has been significantly extended. This project marked IMEG’s second successful SRGP effort with the Central Linn School District, reinforcing a strong partnership and a shared commitment to delivering cost-effective, high-impact upgrades for public facilities.