Volunteers Prepare Olga Strawberry Building for Reconstruction

— by Susan Gordon Bentley —

Strawberry Council Volunteers bring about the restoration of the Orcas Artworks building

We’ve heard several comments lately that the Olga Strawberry Building (Artworks and Café Olga) is looking a little neater and that finally something seems to be happening. Well it is thanks to a group of wonderful volunteers headed by Scott Whiting. They have worked more than 200 hours so far, saving thousands of dollars that would have been paid to a contractor for demolition and preparation work.

If you’ve driven by you’ve noticed the big dumpster that is filling up with the removal of wall coverings, insulation, wiring and fixtures from the building. The volunteers have a bit more to do and their work will be done. The Olga Strawberry Council, along with the community, owes a huge debt of gratitude to this fabulous group.

We’d like to thank each of them for their hard work and generosity. They are: Scott Whiting, Tom Larson (who has been with Scott every step of the way), Holly Larson, Sue Roland, Patsy Stephens, Stu Stephens, Bobby Olmsted, Keith Jones, Dick Staley, April Pollack, Edith Thomsen, Merry Bush, Paul Losleben.

Volunteers hard at work, day in, day out, restoring the Orcas Artworks at Olga

Food has been provided by many of the volunteer workers along with Raenya, Rosemarie Altberg and Carol Anderson.

You’ll notice that many of the volunteers are also tenants of the building. We are so grateful for their participation and can’t wait to have them back in the building. It has been a long arduous process designing the rebuild, getting plans approved and contractor bids.

There is light at the end of the tunnel, however, so stay tuned as we announce our contractor selection and the time line to complete the project.

Many thanks to Holly Larson for her photos of the volunteer work. You can see additional photos at orcasartworks.com.

If you would like to help our rebuilding project, tax deductible donations may be made to the Olga Strawberry Council, or OSC, and mailed to PO Box 214, Olga, WA 98279. The OSC is a 501(c)(3) organization.