Published May 4, 2016 on Morgan Hill Life’s website
By Staff Report
Mission Bell’s wall in MHUSD board room made with reclaimed lumber from San Francisco.
Photo by Kimberly Beare
Morgan Hill Unified School District Board of Education recognized Mission Bell for its generous donation of reclaimed Transbay Douglas Fir used to bring a new look to the district’s board meeting room. Board President Bob Benevento thanked Mission Bell CEO Glenn Ripley at the meeting for the Morgan Hill company’s volunteer efforts to help enrich the district’s woodworking and carpentry courses, and for their commitment to further enhance the career technical education of our students and staff.
The wood used in the district’s board room is the highly sought after reclaimed Transbay Douglas Fir repurposed from the San Francisco Transbay Terminal. The Douglas Fir pilings from the terminal were created from 100-year-old trees before being placed in the ground as support beam more than 75 years ago. Along with the unique history of this wood, another unforeseen element that makes the lumber look exceptionally beautiful is its coloring. After being preserved for more than 75 years under water and mud, minerals from the bay absorbed into the wood, giving in a unique coloring that can not be replicated in a factory.
“This wood built the foundation of the city as part of the Transbay Terminal,” Ripley said. “How fitting that this wood would end up here at the school district where you provide a foundation of life for thousands of students. All of us at Mission Bell are honored to be able to make this donation to you.”
In addition to helping modernize the district’s board room, Mission Bell has been involved in enriching woodworking and carpentry courses offered to the MHUSD high school students. Mission Bell is also one of the early supporters to step forward and commit to furthering the career technical education of MHUSD students by helping create and design a curriculum for technology and woodworking that will give students the ability to enter into internships, and perhaps in the future, work for the company.
Mission Bell Manufacturing Company has been a Morgan Hill family-owned business for almost 60 years and will soon become 100 percent employee-owned through an employee stock ownership plan. Known throughout the design and construction community for providing exceptional reclaimed wood finishes, custom commercial cabinetry, and exotic wall treatments; the Mission Bell Manufacturing Company holds a long-standing reputation for excellent service and superior products.
One of their fastest growing lines of business is their reclaimed wood department which re-purposes old lumber that has been torn down from iconic buildings such as the Moffett Field Hangar or historic railroads from San Francisco. Mission Bell attained the highest level of certification from the Forest Stewardship Council and the United States Green Building Council for sustainable products and manufacturing.
