KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The community came out on Saturday morning to celebrate the raising of a new barn for Kelseyville High School's agricultural program.
Kelseyville Unified Superintendent Dave McQueen welcomed about 100 people to the morning ribbon-cutting, and recognized the community-wide effort that went into completing the project.
Jared Smith, a member of Kelseyville High School's Future Farmers of America chapter, spoke about the FFA's mission.
FFA is “building the leaders of tomorrow right here today, at Kelseyville High,” he said.
“We are so excited for this barn,” Smith added, offering his thanks to the community, district administration, the school, teachers and advisors.
The new 2,500-square-foot steel barn took a year and a half to complete, and will be available to the 200 students who are in the agriculture program, according to Kyle Reams, the district's maintenance director and one of the people who helped guide the barn's construction.
McQueen told Lake County News that the barn was completed for $80,000, with community donations – from individuals, businesses and the Kelseyville Business Association – helping to fund it. “It was just unbelievable.”
He said it was a fun project. “I really enjoyed doing it.”
Reams also recognized the team effort that went into completing the barn. “We're all family here.”
Before the new barn was built, ag teacher Donelle McCallister and other ag students offered their own barn space to those students who needed it, Reams said.
Reams said the barn project was one that required a lot of research, including looking at other school agriculture projects around Northern California.
“There isn't a book that says this is how you build a barn for a school,” Reams said.
The learning curve for the district included having to put the barn construction out to bid three times due to what Reams called “unforeseen legalities.”
School construction laws also changed during the course of the barn project, said Reams.
However, the result, according to Reams, is one of the biggest new school barns in Northern California.
Reams said the building was overengineered to ensure it was extremely safe. It features reinforced concrete and deep footings for each of the barn's supporting columns.
He said the barn can house anything from chickens to livestock, and on Saturday there were a variety of critters on hand – including a pig who had plenty to say during the dedication ceremony, rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens and lambs.
The barn has both concrete and dirt floors to meet the conditions needed for different types of livestock, Reams said.
There also is a wash area, a roll up door on one end to allow trailers to be backed into the barn, places for feed and equipment storage, and plenty of ventilation – along with fans and swamp coolers – for the animals, as well as heat lamps for colder conditions.
Reams said they have large, heavy blankets that can be used to cover the barn's sides in order to protect the animals from both the sun and the cold weather.
“This is a program that works all year-round,” Reams said.
The barn's completion is just one of what Reams estimated will be about 20 steps for the school's agriculture complex, which also includes three large greenhouses that were open for a plant sale on Saturday.
Now that the barn is complete, there are other projects ahead, including lighting, walkways and additional covered structures, and goals for a small vineyard so students can learn more about the area's growing winegrape industry, he said.
The building also is modular, so Reams said it can be expanded in the future.
Reams called the barn project “an amazing task.”
He added, “This barn will be here 50 years.”
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Kelseyville High agriculture program's new barn dedicated
- Elizabeth Larson
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