Trego's Mountain Ear

"Serving North Lincoln County"

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  • Poor Maintenance is Just Another Form of Debt

    I’m working at remodeling the old service station. The most interesting thing is that the repairs aren’t a whole lot different than what I read my old high school (now the middle school) needs – and the comments on that read like it would be cheaper and easier just to tear it down and start anew.

    My first task was replacing the roof – once the leaks were repaired, other work could proceed. Like the old high school, we’ll be adding another frame to the inside wall – simply enough, the insulation of 1966 hasn’t been adequate for a long time. Framing in a second, internal wall will give seven inches for insulation . The copper tubing used for plumbing will be replaced by pex. Deferring maintenance – whether a building or a piece of equipment – just means you’ll be paying more later.

    Someone early in the building’s history removed a load bearing wall. We put it back in, within a couple of inches of the original. The sheetrock cracks disappeared as the 20 ton hydraulic jack took out the sag – it shows where the work should have been done years ago – but it’s OK, the repairs are coming along.

    Once we get the old store part fixed, the challenge will be getting the old logging camp cookshack moved a bit toward the south, and, if we can, getting a solid foundation under it. I’ve got the idea that the cookshack and bunkhouse were used in railroad logging down along the Kootenai until about 1936, and that Don Boslaugh brought them up to Trego to work in the impact with Westwood Acres 30 years later. There’s too much history in the old logging camp buildings not to do a little bit of restoration. Again, deferred maintenance is a debt that has to be paid sooner or later.

  • The Storage Building

    Yes – we have built a storage building across the street from the Pub and the Post Office. Yes, we will have storage units for rent. Probably the most important thing is that we will be filling several with our own stuff. You see, stuff takes up space – and that stuff has been in the way of remodeling the old service station. When I returned to Trego, it was a place to put stuff that I didn’t need immediately. Ten years later, I’m looking at stuff that hasn’t been needed in a decade.

    One of the boxes that is destined for the storage buildings contains is labeled ‘Barbies’. Right now I’m looking at a toddler whose main interest is wheels. After Bruce Todd gave him a ride in his dump truck, he plays wih tractors and trucks, in that order. His little brother is almost crawling – along with mechanical noises. Barbie is headed for the storage building, until another little McCurry comes along that is more interested in dolls than rolling stock. There are a couple boxes of photo albums and such. All good stuff, all temporarily stored in the way of getting things done.

    Today, it would be called a meme – but the slogan “He who dies with the most toys wins.” came along before the internet.

    So what’s going on in the old service station? The first effort was the roof – originally of corrugated metal, it needed to be replaced before anything could be done inside. Then there needed to be a plan – Dad’s remodeling has effectively removed the shop (though most of my old Austin Healey is still there – and parts have been scattered throughout it and other buildings. Again, stuff that gets in the way of remodeling.) Phase 1 is pretty simple – increasing insulation and getting a heat pump added so we can work inside in the winter. Then remodeling the store area, and moving the old logging camp cook shack away from the south side. After all, it too has became storage.

    So Sam has already promised four of the storage units. I figure I’ll be using at least two. There are 20 units in the building. I’m sure that there is enough stuff in Trego to fill the ones I can’t.