Access ramp opens possibilities at historic schoolhouse

By Ellie Jones
Buckeye Community Club

The Buckeye Community Club recently celebrated a huge milestone in the community – completion of a wheelchair access ramp to the historic Buckeye School, which was built in 1925.

The schoolhouse, now a gathering place, is home to the Buckeye Buck-N-Ears 4-H group and the Buckeye Community Club. It is a two-story structure that required navigation of seven stairs to reach the main floor. For several members, this was a roadblock to participating in local events.

"It's not fair that individuals should be prevented from sharing community goodwill, camaraderie and good food," I said to myself. (The community club hosts a potluck supper on the second Saturday of each month.) So began my mission to make a change.

The schoolhouse was already being reviewed by City Visions Inc. architectural firm for structural soundness as part of a grant through the Colorado Historical Society. I asked City Visions personnel if they had any good ideas on where and what a wheelchair ramp should look like and how much it would cost. They provided us a base plan, and we modified it to meet the rustic nature of the schoolhouse and community.

Then the community club looked for funding options. In September 2009, we applied for a grant from the Larimer County Open Lands program. We received notice in January that the Buckeye Community Club was awarded $2,000 to help build a wheelchair access ramp on the Buckeye Schoolhouse.

By the time the ramp was completed, material costs totaled approximately $4,500, with the Buckeye Community Club raising the remainder of funds necessary for construction.

It has been a long road from design to permitting to construction. I was fortunate enough to find a helper as passionate about this ramp as I was. Russell Wright, from Wright Way Construction, offered his services free of charge and provided the bulk of labor to make this happen. Several "work days" were planned to pour cement, build the framing, construct the actual ramp and decking and finally the handrails. Many people helped make this dream a reality, and I can't thank everyone enough.

The community club celebrated the completion of this monumental event with a dedication ceremony, ribbon cutting and potluck supper on Nov. 20. The Rev. Paul Joncas, a club member who suffers from multiple sclerosis, presided over the dedication with a few choice words for us all: "When a person becomes disabled, their world becomes very small. Over time, we begin to poke at the edges to see where we can expand it. From time to time, something like this ramp comes along and opens up new possibilities for us. It's a good thing."

Next on the project list, the community clubs hopes to raise money to add a wheelchair-accessible restroom. For more information about the historic Buckeye Schoolhouse or to send a donation, write to Buckeye Community Club, P.O. Box 6, Wellington CO 80549.