The Blue Mountain Community College Board of Education approved a contract with LKV Architects of Boise, Idaho, for bond projects during its most recent meeting.
LKV Architects will work with Frew Development Group, hired by BMCC in July to serve as project manager for all projects related to the May 2015 passage of BMCC’s $23 million bond.
“BMCC is excited to have Frew Development Group and LKV Architects on board to help us make the bond projects a reality and develop facilities that will continue to deliver the high-quality education our community has come to expect,” said BMCC President Cam Preus.
LKV is working with design and stakeholder teams to design the three large projects – the Early Childhood Education/Workforce Training Center in Boardman, the Precision Irrigated Agriculture Center in Hermiston and the FARM (Facility for Agricultural Resource Management) center in Pendleton.
The Early Childhood Education/Workforce Training Center in Boardman is now ready to proceed with the design process, and the Precision Irrigated Ag Center in Hermiston and the FARM in Pendleton have moved to the schematic design stage.
BMCC officials said early work on bond projects is already yielding savings to the college. A gas line investigation revealed that the quality of BMCC’s gas pipes on the Pendleton campus are in good condition. Replacement of the gas regulators is recommended rather than the entire gas line. This will save a significant amount of money budgeted for this project. Once the project is complete, those saved funds will be allocated to the bond project contingency fund.
BMCC has also formed a Bond Oversight Committee of community members to monitor the implementation of bond projects and provide an independent review of the major projects and expenditures. This committee will meet quarterly and provide reports to the Board of Education. Information on the projects can be found on the BMCC website.
