MORROW COUNTY, Ore.- The Design Advisory Committee (DAC) has completed the preliminary design phase for the Morrow County School District’s (MCSD) three major voter-approved bond projects.
The DAC committee is comprised of school staff, students, and community members from Boardman, Irrigon, Lexington, and Heppner, to allow for a collaborative process and ensure the voter-approved projects meet the needs of each school and community.
Morrow County approved a $204.4 million bond to fund replacement of Irrigon Junior/Senior High School, renovation of Riverside Junior/Senior High School, and for the renovation and conversion of the Heppner Jr Sr High building into a K-12 campus, in the May 2025 Special Election.
“The preliminary design phase has been a wonderful collaborative process and is setting these projects up for success,” said MCSD Superintendent Matt Combe. “Our DAC members, architects, and project partners have worked thoughtfully and intentionally to create functional, safe, and welcoming spaces that our students, staff, and communities will be proud of for generations to come.”
During the final DAC meeting on Feb. 24, SĀJ Architecture presented refinements to site and floor plans for all three projects using 3D-printed models to help committee members conceptualize how the buildings will look and function.
“We wanted to take the DAC’s previous work from two dimensions to three so everyone could better understand how spaces relate to each other, especially in a multilevel school like Heppner,” said SĀJ Principal Architect Seth Anderson, who is leading the Heppner K-12 School team.
The DAC committee also reviewed design concepts regarding the aesthetic direction of each school.
According to the MCSD, this allowed the committee to take the unique characteristics of each community into consideration, from geographic features to cultural traditions, to ensure each campus reflects local identity while meeting modern educational needs.
“Defining a concept means identifying a core idea that tells a story of how the spaces are organized and materials are selected, and how the building reflects the community,” said Amy Vohs SĀJ Architecture Principal Architect, who is leading the Riverside Junior/Senior High team.
Now that the preliminary design phase is complete, SĀJ Architecture will compile feedback from the DAC meetings into a final report to the district in April, with plans to share updates with the community in May.
Each project will now move forward on its own schedule, according to the MCSD, with the Irrigon Junior/Senior High School project proceeding directly into schematic design over the next seven months, with construction set to begin in 2027.
The Boardman (Riverside) and Heppner projects will briefly pause before entering schematic design later this year.
More information about MCSD bond projects, including planning and construction timelines are available online.
