The James Logan Courier

Logan's new supply room opened for business for the the first time
Tuesday, even though it's not quite finished.

At about 10 a.m., computer technician's were just finishing up getting
supply room commander Jerry Ortega's computer to work.

In the afternoon, Ortega was still bringing textbooks from the old
supply room, loaded in big bins, to the new room using a fork lift.

The new supply room, room 102 in the new building adjacent to the music
room, still smells of the fresh white paint on the walls, which are
quite a contrast to the dingy gray of the old facility. A small
stairwell, still waiting for the treads to be finished, leads up to a
large loft-storage area with a low metal fence to keep people and
objects from falling to the floor below. A gate in the fence allows
items to be lifted onto the loft's floor, which is accomplished now
using a rented forklift.

On the main floor, almost a dozen large bins, loaded with Language Arts
textbooks mostly, await emptying. The books inside will be placed on
new, motorized bookshelves which are expected to move effortlessly when
loaded with the tons of text. Right now, though, the fancy shelves are
acting up a bit. Ortega says he's been assured they'll work well.
"There's no weight in them now, so they don't work too well. They need
to be loaded to work right."

The new supply room's location at the extreme end of campus could pose
some problems for teachers and others who don't plan ahead. It's a
long walk to take to find out that Ortega is out making deliveries and
the supply room is closed. Ortega recommends that staff members who
need supplies call him in advance or send him email to make sure he's
available, or to make sure the supplies needed are available. He'd
like to work out a delivery system, he said.

Right now, things are difficult to supply. "Everything's buried,"
Ortega said, pointing to a bin piled to the top with various things.
About two weeks ago, he sent out an email to teachers telling them to
get books and other supplies for upcoming units before the move,
because he won't be able to fill such orders for a while. One teacher
called him Tuesday morning to obtain a class set of books, but
couldn't; they're buried other tons of other books, none of them sorted
into the proper storage area yet.

It could be a while before things settle down, but Ortega's working on
it, from a makeshift desk. A proper desk, and filing cabinets to go
with it are among the supplies that are on their way.