Donations hasten progress on OSA building's restoration work

Thanks to Buzz and Arlene Balls, a generous donation has been made to the Oneida Stake Academy (OSA). “When I opened the letter to find the check, I was overwhelmed, tears came and I thought of all Buzz and Arlene’s kind service to our community,” said Alexis Beckstead, chairman of the OSAF. “My heart was filled with gratitude, because this money will really help us get into our next restoration project sooner.”

In 1971, Buzz opened his glass and auto body repair shop. Since 1973, Buzz’s Auto Body has been located at 117 E 4th S where he and his son Kenny worked side by side. Kenny owned the shop after his father retired, then his son Colby bought it in 2022. “At the passing of our parents...it was directed in their trust that a donation be made to the Oneida Stake Academy in their behalf. Thank you for your dedication to this ongoing project,” wrote their children, Kenneth Balls, Diane Porter, Tamra Sessions, Pauline Owen and Janalee Woolf. “Dad and Mom were always heavily involved serving in the community.” Arlene attended her senior year of high school in the academy building after her family moved from Dayton to Preston. “Dad respected and shared the vision of the academy. His whole life was devoted to restoration, fixing and making old things last,” their children said. When the OSAF sponsored a pageant about the academy’s history several years ago, the Balls got involved. “Mom and Dad really enjoyed participating in the academy pageant and showing off his restored ’47 Lincoln,” their children continued.

Since last fall, another $15,554 was donated by many individuals, all generous supporters of the academy’s restoration. “We encourage our friends, neighbors and descendants of the amazing people who built, taught in and attended the academy building, to join us in this important effort to preserve this beautiful embodiment of our heritage,” said board members. The OSA building’s restoration moves as quickly as funds can be raised to do the work, said board members. Last year, heating and air conditioning systems were installed in the building. They will make the building comfortable for future generations of visitors. Originally, the building was heated with fire and steam. Thanks to Keith Porter, former trustee on the Preston School Board, damage caused by the old steam heaters was revealed.

In 2002, rock on one side of the building fell from an exterior corner when a fire escape was removed. “As soon as someone said that the corner had fallen, I turned to (former school superintendent) Ted Taylor and asked, ‘Is there steam in the building?’” Porter said. “(Taylor) said, ‘Yes, because the board wanted to make sure it was being protected.’ I told him that the steam needed to be taken out immediately because that is what caused the corner dropping. We then went into the building and found just what I described. Porter continued, “A steam valve on a radiator had frozen and steam was being blown into that corner. Then with the ultra-cold outside temperature it froze and broke the rock. You see that rock has spent years in the cold and never broken and never will unless steam is directed into it in this way. We had no way to know which valves would be next and if breakages like that happened, the building would have been condemned. All steam was removed and the building survived.” Cooling the building was originally accomplished by strategically opening its double hung windows. The original occupants could open a few windows on the top floor and a few more on the main floor to create a freshening draft. The building’s thick stone walls helped to moderate interior temperatures.

The new HVAC system will keep the climate more constant and comfortable for occupants, as well as protect the building against the destructive effects of temperature changes. A simple $20 donation by every resident of Franklin County would provide the rest of the funds needed to complete the current phase, said board members. The OSAF is the local non-profit dedicated to restoring this historic building for use as a cultural center and museum of local history. Its spaces will be available to the public for reunions, conferences, weddings, concerts and the arts when completed. The building once served the community as a school and auxiliary building for the Preston School District for over a century from 1890 to 2002. To be a part of this historic effort, see the updated website at www.oneidastakeacademy.org or venmo @oneidastakeacademy.

(Originally published by NECIA P. SEAMONS Citizen correspondent Feb 18, 2026)