Roofers and Laborers Pitch in for Oregon Youth Horse Program

The Union Sportsmen’s Alliance’s Work Boots on the Ground program brought together a dozen skilled union volunteers to clean up and re-roof a dilapidated hay barn for the Mounted Explorers Post 686 in Gresham, Oregon. This critical renovation, completed in mid-September, ensures the continued operation of the youth group’s decades-old horse program.

Union Trades Answer the Call

Mounted Explorers Post 686, run by Scouting America’s Exploring program, offers high school-age youth an affordable and easily accessible opportunity to learn about horse care and riding. Meeting every Saturday, year-round, the youth members and adult leaders perform all necessary maintenance on the 45-acre property, including fixing fences and removing invasive plants. What they couldn’t quite tackle was the roof of the 2,100-square-foot hay barn, which had been leaking for several years and threatened the future of the post.

Courtney Short, lead advisor for the Mounted Explorers Post 686, explained the severe consequences of the barn’s disrepair in an article for the Northwest Labor Press. “Hay has to be kept dry. Even a small amount of moldy hay can kill a horse, because they will get colic and die. They have very sensitive digestive systems.” The constant threat of moldy hay meant anything that got wet had to be thrown out. While the group tried temporary tarping and repairs, the job had become too large and too specialized to handle on their own.

When the need was brought forward by Scott Branstetter (Courtney’s husband), a concrete cutter and member of the LiUNA! Local 737 volunteer organizing committee, the local trades quickly recognized it as an ideal project. “Whenever you can use your skillset to improve the lives of others, we’re in,” said Dana McAuley, an organizer and field rep with Local 737.

Before the roof could be repaired, members of Local 737 volunteered to help clear a path for the roofers using a rented mini excavator. Thick, invasive blackberry vines covered the structure, and members cleared the vines and performed a general cleanup. Dave Coe, a 29-year member of Local 737, organizer and field rep, said it felt good to give back and help out the community. “I’ve had people help me along the way,” he said. “It’s the right thing to do to help people get done what needs to get done.”

Travis Hopkins, business manager of Roofers Local 49, helped spearhead the roofer response. Hopkins heads up the successful annual fundraising dinner for the USA, and a portion of the funds raised from the USA’s Oregon State Building and Construction Trades Council Conservation Dinner, including $39,064 netted from this year’s event, was allocated to cover the project’s materials costs.

In mid-September, a coordinated effort began. Volunteers from Roofers Local 49 and LiUNA Local 737 arrived in shifts to begin work. The prep work by Local 737 took two days to complete. Then, roofers from Local 49 worked a Saturday and Monday to complete the roof. As it’s known to happen in the Pacific Northwest, a rain delay on Sunday pushed the project out another day.

The first roof workday involved a complete tear-off, revealing that the plywood decking beneath the shingles was rotten from years of water infiltration. The union volunteers then installed a new, high-quality, waterproof thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) roofing system. The roofing was completed with a vapor barrier and the TPO membrane.

Volunteers from the Explorer Post organized a barbecue to thank the union crews. “This was a big deal to get this project completed,” McAuley added. “We’re grateful to the roofers and USA to make this happen.”