Plans for three new school buildings in Eugene School District have been underway for more than a year since voters approved a $319.3 million bond measure in November 2018.
The district is rebuilding Edison Elementary School and Camas Ridge Elementary School, and demolishing their existing buildings. The bond also includes money for a new North Eugene High School building, but the district will keep the existing high school building.
All three schools are expected to be finished and open by 2024.
Another design open house for each new school will be held during the design development phase.
Here are the latest details on the district’s progress on the three new schools, and other schools that will see temporary changes as a result, as pulled from the district’s online updates and board documents.
Edison Elementary School
Where will it be? It will be demolished and rebuilt in the same location.
When will it finish? This school will be the first of the three to be completed, in 2022. Construction starts this year.
Are other schools affected by the project? No, but during the two years of construction, students will be relocated to a remodeled swing site at the old Willard school, starting with the 2020-2021 school year.
What’s happened so far? Community input and survey opportunities including a recent design open house in December, site visits, environmental analysis, site work on Willard school, hiring of architects and the schematic design process.
How far along is the design/project? The architects moved from the schematic design phase into the design development phase this month, according to the architects’ report to the board in December. There are still nearly nine months of preparation before construction is scheduled to begin.
More information about Edison’s progress can be found on the district’s website underneath “2018 School Bond Measure.”
Camas Ridge Elementary School
Where will it be? It will be demolished and rebuilt in the same location.
When will it finish? This will be the last school completed, in 2024. Construction will start in 2022.
Are other schools affected by the project? No, but during the two years of construction, students will be relocated to a remodeled swing site at the old Willard school.
What’s happened so far? Community input meetings, work on Willard school and a school board decision to rebuild Camas Ridge in the same location and eliminate an option to build it a mile away after parents spoke out.
How far along on the design/project? No architects have been selected for this project yet, according to the district’s website, therefore the design process is not yet underway.
More information about Camas Ridge’s progress can be found on the district’s website underneath “2018 School Bond Measure.”
North Eugene High School
Where will it be? The new high school will be built on the west end of the property, where the high school baseball field and former Silver Lea Elementary building are located.
When will it finish? This will be the second school completed, in 2023. Construction starts this year.
Are other schools affected by the project? Yes, two schools will be temporarily relocated. Corridor Elementary’s students and staff will move to co-locate in the existing high school; Yujin Gakuen Japanese Immersion Elementary School will move to co-locate in Kelly Middle School. The Silver Lea building will be demolished in July.
What’s happened so far? Community input forums and survey opportunities — including a recent design open house on Jan. 21 which had more than 100 people attend — hiring of architects and the first stages of the schematic design process. Parents, teachers and community members also have protested the co-locations to the district and school board multiple times since plans were announced — specifically for Yujin Gakuen and Kelly.
How far along on the design/project? This school is still in the schematic design process and will be until mid-February, according to the architects’ January presentation. There are still about 17 months before construction is scheduled to begin.
More information about North Eugene’s progress can be found on the district’s website underneath “2018 School Bond Measure.”
Follow Jordyn Brown on Twitter @thejordynbrown or email at [email protected].
