Island City Elementary PTO Pushes to Pave Accessible Quarter-Mile Loop

At Island City Elementary School, there are no sidewalks. That basic fact is what pushed the school's Parent-Teacher Organization to launch the Pathway Project, an effort to pave an eight-foot-wide, quarter-mile loop on school grounds and replace a dusty, uneven gravel surface with something students, teachers, athletes, and neighbors can actually use safely.

The PTO has already built significant momentum: 75% of the necessary funds are in hand, raised through community support and partnerships with the La Grande School District, the City of Island City, and the Ford Family Foundation. The remaining obstacle is $30,000, representing the final 25% of the project's total cost.

PTO President Katie Merrick has pointed to the absence of any sidewalk infrastructure around the school as the clearest argument for the project. Without a paved loop on the grounds themselves, students and community members navigating the site have no smooth, accessible surface at all.

The Pathway Project Committee is pursuing multiple funding sources to close that gap. "Given the significant total cost of the project, the Island City PTO and the Pathway Project Committee are pursuing multiple sources of support to raise the remaining 25% of the project cost," the PTO stated. "Our goal is to obtain the remaining $30,000 by mid-summer and begin the project by August 1, 2026."

That August 1 start date gives the project a tight but achievable window: funds secured by mid-summer, ground broken before school resumes. The finished path would provide a permanent, smooth surface serving not just Island City Elementary students and staff but athletes and community members throughout Island City.

Businesses and residents wanting to support the final push can contact the Island City Elementary PTO directly or scan the QR codes on flyers circulating locally. With three-quarters of the goal already met, the Pathway Project Committee is within reach of turning a gravel track into a genuine community asset.