Oregon State University-Cascades
Oregon State University-Cascades and a local nonprofit are kicking off a series of community workshops this week about the design of the school's new west Bend campus.
This is not the first time OSU-Cascades has asked the community to weigh in on campus design. But this time, people will actually get a chance to sit down with some maps and tell university leaders what should go where on the new campus. That’s according to Kelly Sparks, associate vice president of finance and strategic planning with OSU-Cascades.
“This is the first opportunity for the community to say where might they place housing, or an arts and cultural center of some kind on the campus," Sparks said. "Where might parking feel more appropriate or less appropriate from a community standpoint?”
The university is partnering with local nonprofit Bend 2030 to put on the interactive community workshops. Bend 2030 will share input from the workshops with OSU-Cascades in a report later in the spring.
The university's year-long planning effort will focus on the development of new land purchased this winter that will expand the four-year campus.
OSU-Cascades announced in January the purchase of a 46-acre pumice mine adjacent to the university’s existing property. The new land will allow the university to expand beyond the initial ten-acre campus that's currently under construction.
The first construction phase of OSU-Cascades is slated to finish this August with the opening of a central academic building and later in the fall a residence and dining hall, and additional academic buildings.
"It is on track, on plan, and on budget,” Sparks said.