The Medford School Board approved purchase of Cobblestone Village off North Riverside Avenue for Central Medford High School\u2019s future home, as the Medford School District prepares to convert its present building into a third middle school.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m thrilled about the property that we found,\u201d said Cynthia Wright, board chair. \u201cIt will be a wonderful environment for an alternative school.\u201d<\/p>\n
Purchase of the 2.7-acre property will cost the district $3,050,000 before renovations begin to prep the retail and restaurant site to serve students. Most of the cost can be covered with funds from district reserves, said Brad Earl, Medford School District\u2019s assistant superintendent of operations, and the district will explore financing options to cover additional costs.<\/p>\n
Though Central will move out of its home, at 815 S. Oakdale Ave., by the time the next school year begins, tenant leases and site remodeling at Cobblestone Village will likely push back the school\u2019s entry into the new building until December 2020, district officials estimated.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to take the time,\u201d said Principal Amy Herbst, adding that the school will find a temporary place for the first few months of school. \u201cIt\u2019s worth it to me to take the time to have a good outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n
The final destination of a number of programs and offices that are currently housed in the Oakdale building, including district administration, remains undetermined, officials said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis piece of property allows us to have some options,\u201d said Bret Champion, district superintendent.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019d like to keep those things together,\u201d Wright said.<\/p>\n
Herbst said she was enthusiastic about the Cobblestone Village property \u201cright off the bat.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really checked a lot of the boxes that I had wanted,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The outdoor courtyard spaces, she said, could allow students to continue cultivating a community garden, which they do now at the Oakdale property. Students could also access commercial-grade kitchens in one of the rental spaces that was once occupied by a restaurant.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have an amazing culinary arts teacher and program,\u201d Herbst said. \u201cFor our population, that life skill is very important.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Roseburg-based business that owns Cobblestone Village put the property on the market in December 2019. The Valley School, a Montessori middle school chartered by Medford School District, was housed in the former restaurant space from 2015 until\u00a0midway through 2018. It moved to 857 Valley View Drive, in Medford after that.<\/p>\n
The new location doesn\u2019t have a gym, but Herbst said she plans to push for a fitness center.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the top priorities is that we\u2019re able to fulfill all the requirements for a high school diploma, but we also can think outside the box,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Medford School District Education Center on Oakdale Avenue, where Central students and students in alternative or special education programs have coexisted with district administrators and partner organizations, contains about 250,000 square feet.<\/p>\n
Central classrooms and offices occupy 44,215 square feet, according to the district\u2019s most updated long-range facilities plan. Administrative offices take up another 42,395 square feet, the document states.<\/p>\n
To hear Herbst and Facilities Manager Ron Havniear tell it, the occupants have had more than enough room to stretch out.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey had a little bit of luxury here,\u201d Havniear said. In searching for a new place that could be converted to a school, \u201cwe really looked at the functionality, what spaces do they need.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cobblestone Village contains about 34,000 square feet, Earl said. The purchase also includes a 0.12-acre parking lot nestled behind the property at 1215 Niantic St.<\/p>\n
Next, district officials will work with the tenants that are leasing space on the property to figure out what the district\u2019s legal obligations might be upon assuming ownership.<\/p>\n
Earl said that Cobblestone Village contains 35 rentable spaces, 28 of which are occupied by 24 different tenants.<\/p>\n
The district had not yet received lease information Wednesday, Earl said. District employees working with the seller don\u2019t yet know the length of each lease or the obligations, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce we get a look at them … then we\u2019ll know what we\u2019re facing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Among the tenants are a few hair and nail salons, a restaurant, and Resolve Center for Dispute Resolution and Restorative Justice, to name a few.<\/p>\n
A couple of tenants contacted by the Mail Tribune said they had been informed that the property was up for sale.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we\u2019re successful at closing, we\u2019re not looking to send them into the cold streets,\u201d Earl said.<\/p>\n
Pending a 45-day due-diligence period, during which district officials will inspect the property and the paperwork completely, the school district will assume ownership of the property.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope that everything works out and we are able to obtain it after our due diligence process,\u201d Wright said. \u201cIt\u2019s not a \u2018this\u2019ll do\u2019 kind of space, it\u2019s a great location, a great space.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Medford School Board approved purchase of Cobblestone Village off North Riverside Avenue for Central Medford High School\u2019s future home, as the Medford School District prepares to convert its present building into a third middle school. \u201cI\u2019m thrilled about the property that we found,\u201d said Cynthia Wright, board chair. \u201cIt will be a wonderful environment for an alternative school.\u201d Purchase of the 2.7-acre property will cost the district $3,050,000 before renovations begin to prep the retail and restaurant site to serve students. Most of the cost can be covered with funds from district reserves, said Brad Earl, Medford School District\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2972,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n