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The Nugget Newspaper
Sisters, Oregon
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School requires massive dig
By Jim Cornelius

The Sisters High School "borrow pit."

An error in aerial mapping of the new Sisters High School site has left excavators short of the dirt they need to lay the groundwork for the facility.

To make up the shortage, excavators have dug a massive 20-foot deep "borrow pit" and extracted some 35,000 cubic yards of dirt.

The engineering firm of Hickman, Williams & Associates has taken responsibility for the mistake, laying the error at the feet of their mapping subcontractor 3Di of Eugene.

"It is apparent that the contours on the mapping are not accurate -- on the order of half-a-foot to one foot," said Matt Steele of Hickman, Williams at a school board meeting on Monday, June 24.

"We're hoping that (3Di) will stand up to the plate, but if they don't, we'll take the hit," Steele said.

The financial impact of the error is estimated at about $70,000.

Because the borrow pit 360-foot-by-160-foot was dug on the site of future playing fields, it will have to be filled in. The school board is looking for ways to get some benefit out of the need to fill the pit.

The board is considering expansion of a planned pond at the west end of the site that was to be used for natural resources education.

Board member Steve Keeton thinks that the pond could be used as an irrigation reservoir, saving the district considerable money both in pumping equipment and in long-term operating costs.

The board is also looking into digging out an amphitheater that could later be used for school and community events and activities.

The board agreed that none of these options should create an added expense to the district.

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