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Building is in full swing in Twisp with several major projects underway.
MVCC gymnasium is undergoing a major renovation, which will include insulation on exterior walls for the first time in the building’s 113 year history. The gymnasium will lose six inches along its exterior walls as workers frame and insulate.
Workers will also install electric heat pumps. “Big Bertha,” a World War II-era boiler that has been heating the entire building with used motor oil for most of the building’s history, will retire but isn’t going anywhere. It will remain in MVCC’s basement.
Shelly, an oil truck driven by T.R. Stewart, picked up used motor oil from around the valley. The oil was filtered three times before feeding it to Bertha. David Harris and George Schoenfeld, aka the “furnace tamers,” worked with Bertha to make sure the building was heated.
Another first, MVCC will have an air filtration system that can remove hazardous small particles. The building is already designated as an emergency shelter during wildfires, but it hasn’t had an air filtration system.
The renovation in the gymnasium is Phase I of the project, whose planning has been in the works since 2022, according to Executive Director Sarah Thomas. Phase 2 will upgrade all of the offices in the buildling with electric heat pumps and exterior insulation.
MVCC will need more power, so a new power line will be laid under the parking lot. Workers are digging a trench for utility lines for MVCC and for a private new building next to MVCC parking lot.
Meanwhile, Highway 20 north of Twisp is getting a new, wide sidewalk that will connect residents to downtown Twisp.
On the south side of town, the smell of tar is in the air as Rosauer’s repaved its parking lot this week.
Additionally, Twisp Town Council is inviting the public to an open house on July 22 at 4 pm to view plans for the Glover Street Improvement Project. The project includes new awnings for some downtown businesses and new sidewalks on Glover Street. The outdoor event will be held next to the town hall building and will be followed by the town council meeting at 5:30 pm.
Information about the Glover Street Improvement Project will also be displayed during the next free TwispWorks Fourth Fridays concert series event on July 25 at 7 pm at the Twispworks Pavilion.
