Substantial progress has been made in the John Gumm Renovation and Improvement Project. In preparation for a fall move, Columbia County hosted a media briefing to provide an update.
The event on April 17 was held at the John Gumm building, 251 St. Helens Street, in St. Helens. Featured speakers included Columbia County Commissioner Casey Garrett, St. Helens Mayor Rick Scholl, Paul Vogel, Executive Director of the Columbia Economic Team, and Brandon Sundeen, Vice President of the Columbia County Museum Association Board of Directors.
The event was also attended by elected officials from around Columbia County, including Commissioners Margaret Magruder and Kellie Jo Smith, St. Helens City Councilors Mark Gundersen and Jessica Chilton, Scappoose Mayor Joe Backus, and Rainier Mayor Jerry Cole.
Each featured speaker highlighted the importance of revitalizing the John Gumm School Building, a vital part of the downtown St. Helens National Historic District.
“The John Gumm building will serve as a hub for civic engagement, economic development and cultural enrichment,” Garrett said. “Scheduled for substantial completion in late August, this facility will soon be home to a variety of county services and nonprofit organizations.”
The building will serve as Columbia County’s civic offices and the new home to the county’s administrative personnel, the Columbia Economic Team, the Small Business Development Center, and the Columbia County Museum.
“We’re very much looking forward to not only a new space to work in, but a new space where we’re all in one spot with Columbia Pacific Economic District. A one-stop shop for small business, growing business, retaining business, and recruiting business,” Vogel said.
Garrett said the project is being funded through “one-time funding opportunities” from both federal and state sources. Garrett said the county has secured “substantial” grants for the project and that they won’t need to ask taxpayers to fund the project with a bond.
“This project is not just about fixing up an old building, but more importantly, it’s about revitalizing our community spirit, creating opportunities for growth, and engagement,” Garrett said. “Once John Gumm is complete, a whole lot of space will be freed up in our annex and our historic courthouse. This will all set the stage for a series of planned projects that will allow us to reconfigure and consolidate our state courts and operate spaces along with over-the-counter county services all in one spot.”
Revitalization
Instead of constructing new buildings, Columbia County acquired the John Gumm building in 2021 for $1.5 million. It first opened its doors in 1919, serving as a school until it closed in 1999. After years of disuse and decline, the building is undergoing significant exterior and interior improvements. These improvements aim to allow occupation, provide ADA accessibility, and offer an appropriate complement of services, according to the county.
Scholl noted that having the building back as a functioning piece of the downtown ecosystem will be significant for the community, especially members of the community who grew up in St. Helens and went to school there. One such case is that of Columbia County Museum Curator Les Watters, who once sat in class in one of the very rooms that will house the new museum.
Ameresco, Inc. was awarded an Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) from Columbia County to perform some of the work for the project. Ameresco is a cleantech integrator and renewable energy asset developer out of Framingham, MA. Under the ESPC, Ameresco will implement modernization retrofits and expansions and energy efficiency solutions, including upgrading the building’s boilers, the building envelope, controls, HVAC and ventilation, interior lighting, and other infrastructure needs.
“There’s been a lot of hoops and hurdles to get us here, but I think the fact that we’re still on time and on budget is significant,” Pacheco said. “We’re pretty happy.”
The upgrades include full window and roof enhancements, structural repairs to the walls to mitigate future damage, and repairing and restoring the arch and structural columns at the entrance. Accessibility ramps and elevators are being incorporated to ensure all visitors can access the Columbia County Museum, event space, and county offices.
Sundeen said he is excited to see the museum get a space where Columbia County’s preserved history can inhabit an expanded space. He also noted that the accessibility of the new museum will hopefully allow access to people who have never seen the museum’s collection.
“We’re grateful to the county for providing us a space to manage, display, and most importantly, share the unique collection that has been acquired over the past decades,” Sundeen said. “We look forward to being a part of this building’s story for the next century, and hope that you will stop in, maybe even volunteer, and become a part of the museum.”
Following the guest speakers’ address, the group was taken on a tour of the building to see the extent of the progress. The tour included a look at the progress being made on the old auditorium, which will serve as a gathering place for community and cultural events.
Garrett also showed where the new offices for the county commissioners and administrative offices will be, as well as the basement that will house Columbia County’s juvenile services.
“I look forward to moving into this new operating space this fall, and we should all be filled with optimism,” Garrett said. “The John Gumm building will stand as a testament to our commitment to the precious heritage of Columbia County, the Historic District of downtown St. Helens, and Columbia County’s future prosperity.”
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