Friday, June 11, 2004

Power outage disrupts Community Campus

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By MEGAN THOMAS
Express Staff Writer

Power should return to the Community Campus in Hailey by today after an outage May 25 that shut down the 100,000-square foot facility.

The power loss forced the Blaine County Recreation District and College of Southern Idaho to find alternative work sites to continue operations.

"It is a unique situation that we find ourselves in this modern world," said Joan Davies, program coordinator for the CSI Hailey campus.

CSI has continued to work in the building by candlelight. The Recreation District reception staff relocated to the Blaine County Aquatic Center, with other staff members working from home.

"The loss of power really shut down our entire operation," said Raeghen Peavey, office manager for the Blaine County Recreation District.

The outage was caused when a switch in the main breaker panel blew.

"The biggest frustration has been the phones," Peavey said. Calls have been redirected to the Aquatic Center, but the voice mail system remains down.

It is a difficult time of year for the inconvenience. The Recreation District summer youth programs began May 31. Programs were to be located at the Community Center. However, many of the activities take place outside the buildings in the surrounding fields.

Programs that require inside space, such as the Recreation District’s sunrise session and CSI classes, have been moved to Wood River High School with the help of the Blaine County School District.

"The situation has demonstrated the Community Campus at work. The beauty of the campus is that it is a community, everybody is making do to work it out," said Davies.

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