LGSD Officially Breaks Ground on Tiger Townhomes Project
By Garrett Christensen on Thursday, August 10th, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
LA GRANDE – At half past ten on August 8, 2023, a shovel struck gravel on the corner of I Avenue and Third Street, signifying the start of a project that will both provide critically needed housing for the community and crucial vocational experience for its students. This is the La Grande School District’s Tiger Townhomes Project.
For those unfamiliar with the project, Tiger Townhomes is a new program by the La Grande School District and various private and government partners to construct a series of new townhomes with the assistance of La Grande High School Students enrolled in CTE and construction classes. Specifically, students will get hands-on experience in helping build the new homes while also receiving technical and vocational training. 22-year educator and recent baseball coach turned shop teacher Parker McKinley (Leftmost in the group photo) will act as the primary instructor for the project. The lot the houses are on was purchased from the Zion Lutheran Church.
As for the actual groundbreaking itself, a crowd comprising community members, LGSD faculty, representatives from partner organizations, along with all three Union County Commissioners and even the Sheriff came out to show their support. Many attendees were also given the chance to take a shovel and pose for the cameras. LGSD staff and partner representatives expressed their enthusiasm for the project and what it means for both the community and students. Assistant Superintendent Scott Carpenter, LHS Principal Chelsea Hurliman and Parker McKinley also gave some more insight into the project’s origins.
Tiger Townhomes is, in effect, the culmination of a complete revamp of the LHS shop and construction program. Partially the brainchild of district Superintendent George Mendoza, who sadly couldn’t attend, LGSD staff toured other school districts across the region to find out what the best direction would be for the program. After listening to many horror stories of programs stalled by apathy and, thankfully, many more programs driven by success, the Tiger Townhouse Project eventually took shape.
Going forward, LGSD staff hope to have the first two houses constructed by the end of May and tours open to the public. In the meantime, Scott Carpenter best described the mood among the community:
“We’re just excited for the project to get started in real ways. We’re Excited for the community to drive by and be able to see the townhouses go up. We’re ecstatic about our partnerships and all the community support behind it. It really is a community endeavor, and I am just grateful to our community and excited about the students that are going to be impacted and learn from the project.”
