John Newman is looking forward to tending flowers in the Jamie’s Place garden after returning home this week.
Burst sprinkler repairs completed
Kathy Hanford was back home at Jamie’s Place just in time to celebrate her 57th anniversary with her husband, Frank.
Frank and their daughter Christy Price were helping Kathy settle in this week, after she and fellow Jamie’s Place residents spent almost six weeks at other homes while damage from a burst sprinkler pipe was repaired.
Hanford was at an adult family home in Brewster, meaning that Frank made the long drive every day, often with Price and their daughter Angela Hanford.
So, it was a big relief for the whole family when Kathy could move home. “Her smile was so huge when she arrived,” Jamie’s Place Executive Director Rana Clarke said.
John Newman was also thrilled to be home, after sharing a room at Mountain View, Jamie’s Place’s neighboring facility. Newman said he was looking forward to tending flowers in the Jamie’s Place garden as soon as the snow thaws.
The leak occurred in the same room where a sprinkler pipe ruptured a year ago. Jamie’s Place brought in several independent architects and engineers to ensure that the problem has been resolved.
They took extra steps and worked with a structural engineer to make sure this will never happen again, Associate Director Jessica Kulsrud said. The sprinkler system and ceiling insulation have been redesigned to protect pipes from freezing. Several rooms and the main living area have new floors, and the rooms that sustained the greatest damage have new ceilings and walls.
Most repairs have been covered by insurance, Kulsrud said.
Jamie’s Place staff — who split time between Mountain View and Brewster to provide continuity for residents — were incredibly flexible and put in extra-long days, Kulsrud said. Half a dozen volunteers from Methow At Home helped clean and set everything up to be ready for people to move back in.
“Here we are, and everything’s good — that’s the main thing,” Clarke said.
