News and Events

Chemeketa to Break Ground on New Health Sciences Complex

Chemeketa officials and community leaders will participate in a ceremonial groundbreaking for a new health sciences complex on the Salem campus Monday May 18th at 4 p.m. The 60,000 square foot building will house new training space for students in nursing, dental hygiene and pharmacy technology programs. Most of the funding for the $39 million building was provided by the bond levy voters approved in May of 2008. The State of Oregon dedicated $6.5 million for the project during the 2007 legislative session.

Chemeketa Community College is a publicly-funded Oregon higher education institution serving Oregon's Mid-Willamette Valley. Chemeketa is dedicated to improving the lives of its students and strengthening the local workforce. For more information, visit www.chemeketa.edu.

State Stimulus Package Helps Leverage Voter Investment in Chemeketa

The $175 million in funding Gov. Ted Kulongoski approved Thursday is paying extra dividends at Chemeketa. College officials are deep into planning the projects voters in Chemeketa’s district funded last May with the passage of a $92 million bond levy. The new state-sponsored, deferred maintenance package infuses and additional $8 million into Chemeketa’s capital budget.

"We were able to provide most of the required matching funds because we already have on hand proceeds from our bond sale," said Craig Smith, Chemeketa's chief financial officer.

Adding the required 50 percent match brings Chemeketa's total for deferred maintenance to $16 million. "The net effect," said Smith, "is we will be able to complete more projects than we otherwise could have."

"This is great news, "said Cheryl Roberts, Chemeketa president, "Because of the swift action and hard work of Craig Smith and Jerry Vessello, we obtained funding for 18 projects."

Using proceeds from our bond sale to help fulfill the required 50 percent match brings Chemeket'’s total for deferred maintenance to $16 million. The net effect gives the college the resources to complete a variety of needed upgrades to protect taxpayer investment in our infrastructure, to provide expanded opportunities to our students, and to achieve energy efficiency cost savings.

Chemeketa, like all recipients of the new state funding, was required to submit projects that could begin in April. The funded deferred maintenance projects include –

A failing roof that has outlived its predicted lifespan $600,000
Antiquated HVAC systems $1,000,000
Rooftop air handling units on 11 buildings $1,200,000
Front entry roadway $1,500,000

In addition to deferred maintenance, Chemeketa is proceeding with the new construction funded by its voter-approved bond levy. The architectural firm SRG Partnership, Inc. has been hired to design the new health sciences complex on the Salem campus with construction scheduled to begin next fall. Construction of the new emergency response building at Chemeketa's regional public safety facility in Brooks will also begin in fall. The other bond-funded buildings are in the planning stage.

Chemeketa expansion plans proceeding without a hitch

Chemeketa Community College's new facilities are proceeding right on track in the wake of voter approval of the college's May 2008 bond measure.

After hiring SKG Partnership, Inc., as architects of the health sciences complex for the Salem campus earlier this fall, Chemeketa officials issued and sold $50 million in bonds that will cover initial construction.

The sale was the first resulting from the passing of the college’s $92 million bond measure. It was also a breakthrough for the college, which had planned to offer the bonds in September just as the municipal bond market began to freeze.

"Supporting the construction of new facilities at community colleges is one of the most immediate ways to pump good-paying jobs into the economy as construction gets underway," said Craig Smith, a vice president at Chemeketa. "On the back end, the college will have increased capacity for more students who will graduate from the college prepared for highly-skilled work."

The new health sciences complex will create a state-of-the-art facility for students in programs such as nursing, dental hygiene and pharmacy technology.

In early November, Chemeketa's president signed a dual enrollment agreement with officials from the Oregon Institute of Technology that created the dental hygiene program that will move into the health sciences complex. In short, students will receive all the benefits of Chemeketa's small classes and reduced costs while earning a higher level degree than those typically offered at a community college.

"This is the next step to delivering on the Chemeketa promises voters recommitted to in May," said Cheryl Roberts, Chemeketa president.

In addition to the health sciences center, the bond measure will fund additional classroom space on the Chemeketa Salem campus; an emergency response building, for the training of EMTs, firefighters, and police officers, in Brooks; and a new McMinnville campus to replace the existing modular facility.

The college planned to hire architects for the emergency response building and new McMinnville campus in late fall. For more information as the project move forward, please visit http://www.chemeketa.edu/builds/.

Chemeketa sells $50 million in bonds

Chemeketa Community College sold $50 million in bonds Friday, Oct. 24.

The sale is the first resulting from the passing of a $92 million bond measure in May 2008. The measure was approved by voters. The sale was also a breakthrough for the college, which had planned to offer the bonds last month just as the municipal bond market began to freeze.

Sale of the bonds also puts the college on track to keep the commitments made to the community when it asked voters for approval, said Craig Smith, a vice president at Chemeketa, and it's chief financial officer.

"Supporting the construction of new facilities at community colleges is one of the most immediate ways to pump good-paying jobs into the economy as construction gets underway," said Smith. "On the back end, the college will have increased capacity for more students who will graduate from the college prepared for highly-skilled work."

Smith and consultants with the college have been monitoring municipal bond markets on a daily basis for the past month. By biding its time, the college succeeded in finding buyers who had pulled money from the stock market and were searching for a place to put it.

The bond measure will fund the construction of a health sciences building and additional classroom space on the Chemeketa Salem campus; an emergency response building, for the training of EMTs, firefighters, and police officers, in Brooks; and a new McMinnville campus to replace the existing modular facility.

Chemeketa Community College is a publicly-funded Oregon higher education institution serving Marion, Polk and Yamhill counties dedicated to improving the lives of its students and strengthening the local workforce. For more information, visit www.chemeketa.edu.

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Health Sciences Complex	Emergency Response Building	McMinnville Campus	Industrial Technology Building	Classroom Building	CCBI Building