District outlines athletics‑facilities schedule; Cleveland Stadium early completion and Powell Park improvements highlighted

Portland Public Schools staff on Sept. 16 presented a bond implementation timeline for athletic facilities and field projects, describing six targeted sites and a phased approach that in some cases runs in parallel with modernizations.

Marshall Haskins, senior director of athletics, and Heidi Bertman, senior program manager for planning and design, told the committee the district’s athletics package covers six locations with staggered planning, permitting and construction schedules. Haskins said staff prepared the package in recognition that “the biggest question we get is what's happening when,” and Bertman walked the committee through a timeline that shows planning and permitting in 2025–2026 and construction on different sites extending through the late 2020s.

Notable items - Cleveland Stadium: District staff said the stadium and related field work will be completed before the main Cleveland building, with a target opening in fall 2028 and the new school building scheduled for fall 2029. Staff said they are pushing construction to finish the stadium earlier so athletics facilities will be available to students while the main building work continues. - Powell Park: Staff presented a concept for Powell Park that would add a multipurpose field, new softball field and related improvements. The district reported a $15,000,000 allowance in the Cleveland project budget for Powell Park work but said Powell Park is a Portland Parks property and improvements require an MOU and land‑use approvals with the City of Portland. Deborah Kafori (chief of staff) told the committee the city has leadership turnover and staff are working to reestablish points of contact; city responses are expected to the district team "ASAP." The district emphasized it is already engaging the city and community partners on Powell Park but said land‑use and interagency agreements may affect schedule. - Farmer's Market: Committee members asked about the farmers market that currently uses part of a school parking area. Staff said the market has been told it can remain through October 2026 (next fall) but will not be accommodated on site during active construction for safety reasons. District staff said they are exploring alternatives, including relocation or other temporary arrangements, and will coordinate messaging with the CMGC and community partners. - Hubs and lights: The package includes hub projects (Jackson, Marshall) and grant‑funded lighting projects; staff said some early construction packages are anticipated for sites with completed land‑use steps.

Logistics and constraints Staff said site ownership and permitting are primary schedule constraints. For sites on city property, the district must negotiate agreements and city land‑use review; for other projects, limited laydown and staging areas (for example, Cleveland’s downtown‑like site and grade changes) complicate construction logistics. Committee members asked for more granular breakdowns of what each athletics project will contain (scoreboards, PA systems, lighting, turf, ADA access) and district staff agreed to bring that detail to a future meeting.

Taper: District officials said project teams will refine cost and construction packages during preconstruction services and will provide more detailed line‑item breakdowns to the committee at upcoming meetings.