BEND, OR -- The public engagement phase of the planned expansion of OSU-Cascades in Bend has begun. Four community advisory groups consisting of members from a wide variety of experience met this week to discuss their 60-day plan. The areas of focus are arts, culture and enrichment; community integration; sustainability; and health & wellness.
Christine Coffin, with the university, tells KBND News public meeting will begin soon. "From here they’re going to divide into those subgroups and have a series of meetings and then the groups will come together again towards the end of January and they’ll report out what they learned and what the recommendations were that came out of those subgroup meetings."
She says they have a number of things to consider. "They’ll address questions like 'How can the campus, the physical campus, advance the arts, culture and enrichment already available in central Oregon? How can we add to that without duplicating?' And, 'How can we advance the wellness, not only of the student community but of the broader community?' And, 'Is it possible to create one of the first-ever net-zero energy campuses in the country?'"
The four task forces will hold the public meetings over the next two months and then present their findings to school officials, who will then pass the recommendations to a design team for integration into the plan for the expanded campus.
