Corvallis 509J School District plans to spend bond measure money to carry out an ambitious series of construction projects to get schools ready to open in the fall. The hope is that every school will be ready to open for full-day schooling with appropriate safety measures in place for in-person instruction even though the pandemic is still not over.
There will be one unfortunate feature of the summertime construction program: local people are accustomed to enjoying the use of elementary school playgrounds on summer days, and the playgrounds at Garfield, Jaguar, and Wildcat Elementary will be closed during construction – although Wildcat Park will be open. The entire Lincoln Elementary campus will be closed to the public all summer for construction.
Construction will also be taking place through the summer at Corvallis High School, Crescent Valley High School, Cheldelin Middle School, and Husky Elementary School.
If you’re the sort of person who likes to say, “Work fascinates me: I can sit and watch it all day,” you can tune into webcams on the construction sites at Lincoln and Husky schools.
If you have more questions, you can contact the school district’s Facilities and Transportation Office at 541-757-4487.
If you’re going to Garfield Elementary School this fall, you’ll be using new classrooms in place of the old portables, and recessing in a new covered play area. The big news, though, is that the immense puddle that used to form out front whenever it rained shouldn’t be appearing next year.
If you’re going to Lincoln Elementary School this fall, you won’t know the place. There’s going to be a whole new school on the south side of the current school grounds to replace the old school, and everything that isn’t replaced is going to be repaired, repainted, and refurbished every-which-way.
If you’re going to Husky Elementary School this fall, the school will be replaced with a new one, very similar to the new Lincoln Elementary School, on the eastern side of the Husky School campus. It won’t be finished when school begins, but classes will be transferred to it when the new building is finished. There’s a video here of the Husky Topping Out Celebration.
If you’re going to Cheldelin Middle School in the fall, the accessibile entrance, cafeteria upgrades, and the new STEAM lab are finished. The library improvements will soon be done, and will be followed by HVAC and seismic upgrades.
If you are going to Jaguar and Wildcat Elementary Schools this fall, plans are being made, but it’s not clear what your school will look like when school begins. They’re going need to work with the Planning Commission to decide some things.
If you are going to Adams Elementary School this fall, nothing much will change during this summer, but there are plans which will affect Adams over the following summer.
If you are going to Crescent Valley High School this fall, there will be changes made in the Career & Technical Education, there will be a new elevator at the gym, and the gym will get a seismic upgrade.
If you are going to Corvallis High School this fall, the Career & Technical Education area will be improved, the main building will have new carpets and there will be more solar panels installed.
By John M. Burt
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