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High Desert Christian Academy seeks city letter to turn old Pioneer Memorial Hospital into regional education hub
Summary
High Desert Christian Academy told Prineville City Council it is pursuing a lease‑purchase of the old Pioneer Memorial Hospital to create a 12–13 acre, 90,000+ sq. ft. educational campus for childcare, K–12 dual enrollment, trade training and community recreation and asked the council to draft a formal letter of support for grant applications.
High Desert Christian Academy asked the Prineville City Council for formal municipal support as it advances a plan to convert the former Pioneer Memorial Hospital — known locally as Old Hospital Hill — into an educational campus.
Mandy Puckett, the academy’s community relations director, and principal Maggie Hale described a phased redevelopment of roughly 12–13 acres and more than 90,000 square feet into a mixed campus for early‑learning classrooms; after‑school care; K–12 dual‑enrollment options; indoor trades labs; and community recreation such as a gym and ball fields. The presenters said the school is pursuing a lease‑purchase option for the property and has begun preliminary grant planning.
The presenters highlighted specific community needs the campus would address: an expanded early‑learning program accepting children from roughly 8 weeks of age through 12th grade (three classrooms are being remodeled using a NeighborImpact grant), an after‑school program that now uses a bus stop adjacent to the police department to safely deliver elementary students, and interest from local employers for apprenticeship-style trade training. They noted a 13,000–14,000 sq. ft. basement that could be used for activities such as batting cages and community meetings.
Speakers told council they have gathered about 200 signatures on a community‑support letter that already includes the mayor, the parks director and county commissioners. They asked the council to provide a formal letter of support that grantmakers typically expect when evaluating proposals, and requested staff draft that letter for council review at the next meeting.
Councilors asked questions about site logistics, including the importance of a small north parking lot that abuts police parking, the potential to reuse an existing donor panel and commemorative bricks, and how much outdoor space would be required for specific trades (one industry representative said a cabling class could accommodate about 12 students). Presenters said they will work with partners — including Baker Technical Institute and Doug Dalton for trades programming — and with the city and county on site planning, architecture and grant phases.
The council expressed general enthusiasm and consensus to have staff prepare a draft letter of support for review at the next meeting.
The presenters did not submit formal zoning or land‑use applications at the meeting; they sought preliminary endorsement and assistance with grant packaging. Next steps the presenters listed were a property appraisal, architect scoping and returning to council with a phased proposal before submitting grant applications.
