Board approval needed for costs exceeding $10K; bringing it up to code could cost ‘millions’
By Holly Dillemuth, Ashland.news
Ashland School District plans to contract with a Eugene-based firm to “shore up” the 1948 wing of the shuttered Lincoln School building, which the city fire marshal ordered shut days before the beginning of the school year in August.
Steve Mitzel, the district’s operations director, shared about discussions he’s had with the unnamed firm with school board members Thursday evening. The Lincoln School building at 320 Beach St., which closed on Aug. 21 following a fire inspection that resulted in findings that deemed the building unsafe to occupy, will be opened up to the firm in coming days.
The building, most of which opened in 1926, usually houses the Ashland Schools Foundation and alternative high school programs “Thoreau and Catalyst.” The programs were relocated from a wing of the building added in 1948 to the Ashland High School campus in September.
“You’ll see some work (at Lincoln School) in the next few weeks and then we’ll give you probably another update at next (month’s) board meeting,” Mitzel said, noting work could begin sometime this week.
The firm will allow the district to “get some eyes on the interior of the building and see what’s going on there,” Mitzel said.
Mitzel said on Thursday that the firm will give school officials “some semblance of an estimate of work to be done” on the building to make it operational for students and staff again.
“We’re shoring it up so that the building’s safe under any conditions,” Mitzel said, noting that the building will not be occupied with students until problems with the building are mitigated completely.
The firm will also ensure that the building is safe to enter for engineers and architects, as well as insurance personnel, who will estimate costs associated with next steps.
“At that point, we’ll pause and … if it’s a big enough number, then we’ll have to go out to bid and go through that whole process and spend some time to get a contractor,” Mitzel said.
On Aug. 21, City Fire Marshal Mark Shay discovered a storage closet in the wing of the building that was nearly impossible for school district staff to open due to drywall that was protruding out from the wall “pretty substantially,” Shay said at the emergency meeting called that evening.
Architect Chris Brown, who was present at the meeting, said he noticed a “significant shift” of about 2 to 3 inches in the building in a 24-hour period, according to a previous Ashland.news story. Brown also stated that the damages discovered in the building could cause “catastrophic failure” of the building.
Ashland Superintendent Joseph Hattrick stated in the meeting on Aug. 21 he is not looking to demolish the building, but is looking to “fix it.”
Board member Dan Ruby asked Mitzel whether board action would be necessary as the district assesses damages.
“I can’t imagine that the numbers are going to be low enough that we don’t have to (have board action),” Mitzel said.
Mitzel assured the board that there will not be more than $10,000 spent on “shoring up” the building without going to the board for approval.
Board action will likely be needed, according to Mitzel, in order to finance costs higher than that associated with fixing the building.
Mitzel said on Aug. 21 bringing the building into compliance with fire, electrical, ADA, plumbing and electrical codes would be costly.
“Just to reach code compliance … it’s in the millions, easy,” Mitzel said, noting the estimate doesn’t include asbestos or lead remediation.
Reach Ashland.news reporter Holly Dillemuth at [email protected].
Related story: Ashland School District shutters Lincoln School: Nearly 100-year-old structure at risk of ‘catastrophic failure’ (Aug. 22, 2025)
