Home | News | General | Bond Program | Bond Update: Summer Construction Projects

Bond Update: Summer Construction Projects

June 21, 2021 | By admin

Kim Patten presenting Wildcat bond update

Corvallis School District bond projects are in high gear for the summer construction season. Some elementary school playgrounds will be closed to the public.

Garfield Elementary – The school playground will be closed to the public periodically throughout the summer for construction.
Lincoln Elementary – The entire school campus will be closed to the public all summer for construction activities. The new school will open next fall.
Wildcat Elementary – The school playground will be closed to the public all summer for construction activities. Wildcat Park will remain open.
Jaguar Elementary – The school playground will be closed to the public all summer for construction activities.

The public can watch a live feed from webcams at the Lincoln and Husky construction sites > View the webcam

In addition to these four sites, construction activities are underway at Corvallis High, Crescent Valley High, Cheldelin Middle School, and Husky Elementary. Questions about summer facility closures may be directed to the Facilities and Transportation office at 541-757-4487.

Overview of 2021 Summer Projects

Garfield Elementary School
Major renovations are taking place including an additional educational wing (portable classrooms will be replaced by permanent classrooms), and covered play area. The improvements in parking and site circulation for bikes and pedestrians has been completed. The front office is complete and will be receiving furnishings soon. Renovation work on the existing east wing, cafeteria, kitchen and music room/stage will start this summer. The contractor and design team are working on a solution to improve the performance of the required stormwater management system in front of the school, which has not been draining properly due to unforeseen deep soil conditions.

Lincoln Elementary School
A new replacement school will be built on the south side of the current school campus. Other improvements will include a new covered play area and improvements in parking and site circulation. Lincoln is seeing new finishes all the time, with paint, ceilings, and flooring going in. The entire school site is beginning to take shape, with utilities, driveways, and sidewalks underway. Move coordination teams are working closely with staff, movers, and district personnel to prepare for the transition out of the old school building. Construction work will start right away when school is out for the summer. The district will salvage materials from the existing building, followed by abatement and demolition of the building in late June. The project is on schedule and the new building will be ready to welcome students this fall.

Husky Elementary School
A new replacement school, similar in size and appearance to the new Lincoln school, will be built on the east side of the current school campus. The current building will continue to be used during construction, then demolished after the new building is completed. Existing portable classrooms will also be removed. Other improvements will include a new covered play area and improvements in parking and site circulation. All of the structural steel is up, and exterior brick is underway. The interior installation of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing is progressing well. This project was intentionally scheduled to be about three months behind Lincoln Elementary, and it is tracking well. Watch the Husky Topping Out Celebration video HERE.

Cheldelin Middle School
Renovations including improved accessibility at the front entrance, upgrades in the cafeteria and a newly designed Career & Technical Education “STEAM” lab are complete. The Cheldelin library renovation is rapidly approaching completion and the space will be a learning hub in the school this fall. The second phase of work includes much-needed HVAC work and seismic upgrades which will go out to bid this fall.

Jaguar and Wildcat Elementary Schools
These schools have a similar building layout so the design process is running on a parallel path. Both have their demolition permits in hand. Both schools are seeing a lot of work with moving and clearing spaces out for the start of active construction. At Wildcat, the district has engaged with interested citizens to consider working with the City to retain the landscaping strip in front of the school and preserving parking, and to challenge the design engineers to relocate the stormwater facility to a different location on the site. Both suggestions will require taking a case before the Planning Commission.

Adams Elementary
Adams is scheduled for primary renovations to begin next summer, but the district received bids for an early electrical package to be built this summer. This will pave the way for a successful renovation project, with the assurance that the necessary transformer will be in place and operational. This electrical project will also separate the power services for the District Office and the Food Warehouse from Adams Elementary. To date, they have all been served from an electrical room in Adams that will be demolished next summer.

Crescent Valley High
Crews are working on the Career & Technical Education areas (indoor and outdoor spaces), the new elevator at the gym, the fiber backbone replacement, and the seismic upgrade project at the gym. Completion of these projects is scheduled for the end of this summer.

Corvallis High
The Career & Technical education areas area is seeing progress (indoor and outdoor spaces), with borings underway for the covered walkway foundations and quite a lot of work inside the buildings. Later this summer, the steel structure for the covered area between the buildings will arrive. Replacement of the carpet in the main building is also scheduled for this summer, as well as an updated security camera system. The additional solar array work is scheduled to complete in June.

Mt. View Elementary, Franklin K-8, Harding Center (College Hill)

Design work is continuing for these schools with plans to begin construction next spring.

The Design Process Incorporates Neighborhood Input

The district is committed to engaging the community in the various phases of our construction projects. Our design process is iterative. We are also committed to transparency in our bond program. From the Bond Oversight Committee to our regular updates on the school district website, we want taxpayers to know that bond funds are being used efficiently and that we are accomplishing all of our bond promises. At each school, a Design Advisory Committee, comprised of students, staff, and a neighbor representative met with architects to provide input and feedback on design concepts.

Wildcat Elementary: Neighborhood meeting update

Concerns from Wildcat Elementary neighbors came to us after we had finalized our Land Use Application. The land use permit was approved but with additional neighborhood input, we are planning to request a variance later this summer. Some construction will begin this summer (excluding the planting strip and stormwater management changes which must wait until after the variance process.) Our goal is to address concerns in a meaningful way while moving the project forward and avoiding delays in the construction timeline.

Harding Center (College Hill): Neighborhood meeting update

Concerns at Harding Center came to us earlier in the design process. According to Kim Patten, “We are committed to the iterative design process and believe that leads to a better design.” Through dialogue with staff, the design team, and neighbors via email, phone conversations—and in a community meeting—we feel we’ve come up with a plan that satisfies the parking needs while maintaining the playing fields for the school district and neighbors. The next steps for this project will be another neighborhood meeting this summer, following by submitting final designs to the city next fall.