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Eagle Point eyes $48 million school bond By Kevin Opsahl Updated: Jul 19, 2022 05:35 PM A A The Eagle Point School Board is considering a $48 million bond for school improvements. More than half of Eagle Point families who participated in a survey earlier this year said they would favor renewing a bond to pay for improvements to school district facilities, but a district committee opposes a November vote on the matter, citing “current economic uncertainty and rising inflation.” The bond proposal is on the Eagle Point School Board agenda at 5:30 p.m. July 20, in the district office board room, 11 N. Royal Ave., in Eagle Point. At the superintendent’s recommendation, the board will vote on whether to proceed with the $48,375,000 bond measure. School Board Chair Emily McIntire said the board will hear a Facilities Committee presentation before discussing the bond measure and voting. In citing the need for a bond, McIntire pointed not only to the survey conducted by the Facilities Committee, but an analysis done by Medford-based ORW Architects that identified approximately $130 million for facilities currently and over the next 30 years, though that analysis was done using 2019 construction costs, well before the challenges associated with the pandemic took shape. The Facilities Committee examined the firm’s analysis, the community survey, made numerous visits to schools and considered “multiple strategies, including bond proposals” before concluding a “minimum current priority needs list” with $48 million in facility improvements. The proposal would include a structure at Shady Cove Schools, traffic improvements at Eagle Rock Elementary and expansion of classroom space at White Mountain Middle School, as well as at Eagle Point high and middle schools. The list of improvements may be long, officials stated in upcoming board meeting materials, but even if the bond — contingent on board approval — is voted on in November, there would need to be another one in five to 10 years. If the school board does not approve the bond proposal Wednesday, or if the measure fails in November, McIntire said, she envisions the board considering dipping into savings to pay for at least some facilities improvements. “If we do not go forward with a bond, we most likely will look at what are the most emergent things we need to get done and see if we can afford them with what we have in our reserves while still maintaining an appropriate reserve,” she said. Reach reporter Kevin Opsahl at 541-776-4476 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @KevJourno.