Contractors are coordinating construction schedules and preparing resources to mobilize in February or March on the revamping slated for Mill City schools.
“We are finalizing the building plans, focusing on the details of materials, colors, exact product selections and minor structural changes,” said Todd Miller, superintendent of the Santiam Canyon School District. “We just received approval for our land use application from the Mill City Planning Commission. The city has been a great partner in working through this process.”
Voters passed the $17.9 million, 25-year school bond to fund the project last May. Miller said campus and building layouts are complete and much of the attention now is focused on getting all the civil engineering work done and coordinated with the city and other jurisdictions.
“Aside from the actual school buildings, significant work has been done to address new water and sewer connections, stormwater runoff and work with the other utilities,” he said.
The Community School Bond Oversight Committee has been meeting to review plans and budgets, and will continue to monitor the district’s work, Miller said.
Plans include three new classrooms for Santiam Junior/Senior High School, a new cafeteria at the elementary school, and the SJSHS auxiliary gymnasium. The district is working on an aggressive timeline for the new campus, with plans to open the classrooms in the fall, Miller said.
“This timeline also includes the opening of our new cafeteria at the elementary school,” he added. “We are very much aware that delays could hamper a fall opening, but we are determined to keep this as our goal. Once this work is complete, we can demolish the existing high school and then build the auxiliary gymnasium, which should be ready a year later.”
Miller said the district was recently the recipient of a Career Technical Education Grant with a max award amount of $125,000.
“These funds will be used to convert one of our new standard classrooms into a culinary cooking space,” he said. “This grant will fund the increased expense of the classroom to help us start a new program, one that we are really excited to add to our school.
“Freres Lumber and Frank Lumber have been very supportive of our schools and are both contributing materials to decrease our costs, support our timber community and keep local products in our schools,” Miller said. “It has been a great partnership between business and education. We owe a lot to their generosity.”
SCSD’s latest plans now include expanded parking at the elementary school, he added.
“This new campus will increase opportunities, improve the educational environment and allow continued growth,” he said. “We have been mindful of the costs on this project but have also kept quality and sustainability at the forefront of our decisions. We want buildings that meet our needs, are built to last and easy to maintain.
“As I see the newer renderings of the campus, I am excited to get these built for our community and students,” he added. “They will point of pride for Santiam Canyon. We have great things to look forward to.”
