Ben La Pine presents two route alternatives for Juniper Elementary–Neff Road path; construction estimated at just over $1 million, no funding committed

Paul Dean, chief operations officer for Bend-La Pine Schools, presented two design alternatives Jan. 24 for a multiuse path linking NE 12th Street near Juniper Elementary through portions of Pilot Butte Middle School property and connecting to Neff Road. The design work shown to the Bend MPO is a funded design phase; construction funding is not yet secured.

Dean described an ODOT-developed “alternate number 1” alignment and a second alignment the district developed after early staff review. He said the first option “dropped you very close to the bus loop at Pilot Butte Middle School,” creating potential conflicts, while the second alignment moves the path slightly west onto flatter buildable space. “Ben La Pine could support either 1 of these, although we have a we have a preference for, number 2,” Dean said.

When asked about cost and funding, Dean said there are no committed construction funds and provided an initial order-of-magnitude estimate. “It was a little over a million dollars to build this plan,” he said, and added that part of that estimate was driven by federal requirements; he said using state funding could reduce costs substantially — he estimated “maybe as much as, 40% off of that” — but that those were preliminary figures.

Board members asked whether the district would be a consistent point of contact for follow-up; Dean said he is the appropriate contact for transportation and site-related questions during his tenure and noted the district’s sites-and-facilities planning process will resume in spring 2026, when pedestrian-path needs will be reviewed in a broader capital planning context.

Why it matters: the path would create a walking and rolling connection used by students and neighborhood residents and was presented as a funded design effort without construction funding. Board members said the MPO has supported similar school-related multiuse and Safe Routes projects in the past and suggested continued coordination to align district site planning with competitive grant opportunities.

Background and next steps: the path designs date from January 2024 and were refined with input from ODOT, city and parks staff. The district will remain the local contact for questions and staff asked the MPO to track potential funding opportunities and technical coordination if the board wants to support the project later in design or construction phases.