School board approves up to $400,000 toward McEwen Road sidewalk near River Grove Elementary

The Lake Oswego School District board voted to contribute up to $400,000 in bond funds toward a city-led sidewalk project on McEwen Road intended to improve safe routes to River Grove Elementary School.

A district staff member who presented the item said the full sidewalk project is estimated at about $1,000,000 and that the district had already budgeted funds for frontage work at River Grove and for civil-engineering costs. The presenter told the board the district had previously proposed $200,000 toward the project and that additional funding was requested by the city; the board discussed raising the district's contribution and ultimately approved a motion to commit up to $400,000.

The presenter said the district had $150,000 of frontage work tied to the River Grove project and a roughly $20,000 civil-engineering commitment; the proposed $400,000 contribution would include those earlier commitments.

Board members emphasized the importance of securing a formal intergovernmental agreement to document roles and long-term maintenance responsibilities. A board member said the funds being used are bond funds and "are not funds that would otherwise be allocated to the general operation funds," a point the presenter reaffirmed.

Motion and outcome: A board member moved to approve an amount up to $400,000 for the sidewalk construction; the motion was seconded and passed after an aye vote from those present. No roll-call tally was provided on the record.

Context and next steps: Staff said final project costs will be returned to the board once bids and final designs are complete, and that the district and city would work to draft an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) or a simpler funding agreement to memorialize responsibilities and the exact funding amount before funds are expended.