REDMOND, OR -- It was a who’s who of Redmond dignitaries Wednesday afternoon, wielding golden shovels and hard hats as they celebrated the groundbreaking of Redmond Proficiency Academy’s new campus.
Last week’s snow delayed the ceremony, and yesterday’s rain forced the event inside. But that didn’t dampen the excitement of RPA Director Jon Bullock, as he addressed the crowd of Redmond dignitaries and students. "Our school opened with 150 students and now serves more than 800 students, including all of you. As a result of our growth, we’ve had to operate out of five buildings on two campuses, and we’ve been blessed with this opportunity to occupy the Hugh Hartman building for the last two years. As the community grows, there’s a need for the school district to use this facility, once again." RPA must move out of the Hartman building, so the school district can create an early learning center, focused on all-day kindergarten.
The new middle school is being constructed just a couple blocks from the existing facility. Bullock gave students their first official glimpse at the plans. "So you know, the building is going to be about 24,000 square feet. To give you an idea, this building [Hartman] is about 65,000 square feet, so it’s going to be somewhat smaller. But, as you also know, there are parts of this building we don’t use. And some of you haven’t even seen all parts of this building. So, our building is going to be designed to fit exactly what RPA needs, which is a unique learning environment."
RPA's new middle school should be open by fall, and crews are already working at the site. Bullock acknowledged things are moving quickly. "Building a building isn’t as simple as finding a place and throwing up a place to be. There’s a lot paperwork that’s involved with this, there are permits and things the government has to look at to ensure we build a wonderful safe space for you. Because of the great work of the city of Redmond, the staff that works with Mayor Endicott and the great support of Commissioner Unger, that process was very smooth." Work will be paid for by revenue bonds sold by the charter school.
Read more about the site.
