Bond work moves from design to site work as oversight committee prepares quarterly reviews
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Summary
District staff briefed the board on bond project starts — turf installation at Oregon City High School fields, pending permits for restrooms/concessions and early cost estimating for elementary renovations — and the newly formed community bond oversight committee outlined its quarterly meeting plan and questions for staff.
Oregon City School District officials told the board on Sept. 8 that bond projects are beginning to move from design into construction and that a new volunteer Community Bond Oversight Committee (CBOC) will provide quarterly reviews.
Director of Facilities David Hopps said the district has broken ground on field work at Oregon City High School, where artificial turf installation has started for three fields, and that lighting controls and scoreboards have been ordered. "We are finally really starting to move on our projects," Hopps said.
Hopps said permits for concessions and restrooms are with the city and expected before year‑end, but construction will likely wait until the next summer to avoid disrupting spring athletics. He also described ongoing cost‑estimating work for Pioneer Stadium and the district’s first phase of elementary renovations. "We should have a better alignment of where we are with our budgets," Hopps said, noting the district will receive refined estimates this month.
The CBOC chair, Greg Stoll, and committee members reported they have completed organizational meetings and officer elections and will meet quarterly (December, March and June, with possible additional meetings as work ramps up). Stoll said the committee’s early work has focused on clarifying its role and identifying the types of project budget and expenditure information it will request from staff. "There isn't a lot to review just yet," he told the board, noting that only about $3 million of the $181 million bond has been spent so far.
Board members asked the committee whether members felt they were receiving adequate information; committee members said staff responses have been sufficient so far but that their work will intensify as construction spending accelerates. Committee members and district leadership agreed to meet soon to define report content and frequency. "We're eager to be put in the game," Stoll said.
Hopps said the district’s construction managers for the Pioneer Stadium work are doing subsurface evaluations to determine foundation needs because the stadium sits on old quarry fill; that analysis will affect cost and schedule. He also described logistics planning with contractors and principals to maintain safe campus access and staging during school‑year construction.
The board did not take formal action on bond scope at the meeting; staff said they will return with more detailed cost estimates and schematic updates and will present community meetings this fall on elementary school designs.