Groundbreaking next year for new elementary school on eastside and middle school on Westside in Bend to open as soon as fall 2015.
Bend-La Pine Schools Board of Directors voted unanimously this week to approve the purchase of sites for a new elementary and a new middle school in the Bend area. The elementary site is located between Reed Market Road and Brosterhous Road, east of Third Street. The new middle school site is located off Crosby Road in Bend, adjacent to William E. Miller Elementary and Summit High schools.
“It’s rewarding to live in a community that supports local schools,” said Board member Peggy Kinkade. “These land deals represent the next big step in our investment in education. Construction of two new schools will address our growing capacity needs while providing jobs to stimulate the local economy.”
Chief Operations Officer Brad Henry said that enrollment has grown by more than 1,000 new students in the last five years alone.
“The foresight of the 2011 Sites and Facilities committee to recommend the construction of these new schools is commendable,” Henry said. “With more than half of our schools near or over capacity today, and growth expected to continue, the new schools will provide much needed relief.”
Henry said that work to design the new schools is underway and the buildings could be open as soon as fall 2015.
“Today is a major milestone for our community and for the future of Bend-La Pine Schools,” he added. “We look forward to breaking ground next year as we kickoff the construction of these new schools.”
ABOUT THE NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SITE
The new elementary school will be sited on a 12.5 acre parcel of ‘shovel ready’ land located between Reed Market Road and Brosterhous Road, east of Third Street in Bend. The land will be purchased from Lands Bend, LLC for $2.6 million. The school site is situated within a larger 40-acre parcel slated for development into a neighborhood.
ABOUT THE NEW MIDDLE SCHOOL SITE The new middle school will be sited off of
Crosby Road and adjacent to William E. Miller Elementary and Summit High schools in Bend. The District is authorized to purchase up to 35 acres from Miller Tree Farm, LLC at $25,000 per acre.
ABOUT THE 2013 SCHOOL BOND In May, voters approved a bond measure to authorize Bend-La Pine Schools to sell $96 million in bonds to fund the construction of two new schools to address continued enrollment growth and 138 other safety, maintenance, and classroom addition projects on the community’s behalf. Citizens in the Bend, La Pine and Sunriver areas approved the bond request with the highest ‘yes’ vote in history.
