Rainouts and muddy fields are no longer an issue for the Oregon City High Schools outdoors athletic facilities. Thanks to the voters of the School Districts, OCHS is getting renovations done for its baseball, softball, and track fields.
Over the past 25 years, the school district of Oregon City has made progress in improving schooling through a long three-phase capital development plan. Issues from overcrowded schools, flooding athletic fields, and the remodeling of classrooms and libraries will be solved thanks to the development plan.
This current plan contains 3 phases:
The bond of 2000 aimed to renovate Oregon City High School in hopes of solving the issue of an overcrowded school. This renovation allowed all grades (9 – 12) to be in one building. Construction began in 2000, finishing in 2003, building it over the old Moss Freshmen Campus.
The passing of the 2018 bond allowed for the construction of the interior of Tumwata Middle School and the entire Gardiner Middle School to be completely rebuilt. Updating security was also a part of the project. The use of this bond helped create secure vestibules at the entrance of schools.
The 2025 bond is the bond in progress. This bond aims to renovate to focus on the needs of the high school population, then the middle school population, and finally making repairs to the old elementary school.
According to the Oregon City School Bond website, once the bond was passed for 193 million dollars, property owners in the OC school district will have to pay more in property taxes. If your home is assessed at the median value of $270,788, you would need to pay an extra $27.76 each month, with the sum coming to $333.07 at the end of the year, for about an estimated 20 years.
As renovations go on, the construction company, Trakket Sports, faced only small issues and setbacks. The biggest issues occurred due to natural weather, slowing down the process.
The principal of Oregon City High School, Gregory Timmons, said that he attends a meeting with the construction company every Thursday afternoon for a half hour to get updates on how the renovations are going.
Currently, the inside of the track field is being turfed, removing the dirt and grass. This included the JV baseball field for the use of the Varsity team. As of this moment, the softball field is done and nearly ready to be utilized.
Timmons said, once the turf is done, we’ll be able to utilize it for our emergency evacuation as a cleaner, dryer, and safer place for our safety evacuation.
These renovations will be able to make those fields usable after a rain shower, which prevents delays in games and scheduling. This area will also provide a space for extracurricular activities and lessen practices from being held at Pioneer Stadium.
As a final quote, Timmons remarked, “I’m thankful for our community that voted for the bond, and I’m excited for our students and sports teams.”
