Career & Technical Education Bond Information
Learn about the progress of capital project improvements and upgrades at Chemeketa from the 2025 bond.
What will the 2025 voter-approved bond address at Chemeketa?
Thanks to voters in our community, Chemeketa passed its bond measure in May of 2025. A bond is a voter-approved funding tool that allows public institutions, like colleges and school districts, to borrow money for capital projects, repaid over time with interest. Bonds are used to address:
- Facilities: New construction, renovating, or repair of infrastructure.
- Technology: Upgrading classrooms and labs.
- Safety/Accessibility: Improving ADA compliance, lighting, and campus security.
- Program Growth: Upgrading spaces for high demand programs such as health care and the skilled trades.
- Sustainability: Improving energy efficiency.
- Community Impact: Creating spaces and resources to meet the requests of local communities and employers.
At Chemeketa, the bond will accomplish the following:
- Increase capacity in career and technical education (CTE), specifically in healthcare, the trades, and emergency services programming.
- Renovate educational spaces across the college district for both CTE and lower division transfer programs, including modernizing technology and meeting ADA and other compliance standards.
- Renovate Building 7 on the Salem Campus to support health and physical education programming, and to function as a community disaster resource site.
- Improve community fields and courts to provide enhanced opportunities for the community and the college’s athletic teams.
- Enhance district-wide safety and security of buildings, grounds and parking lots by upgrading lighting, security cameras, and access controls.
- Create a science lab at the Woodburn Center to facilitate the completion of the Associate of Arts Oregon transfer program by local students.
- Renovate, improve, and extend the useful life of student learning and support spaces across the college district.
Did you know? No portion of bond funds may be used to cover operational costs, like faculty or staff salaries – bond funds are exclusively directed toward protecting the community’s investment in the campus.
How are we stewarding your dollars?
Having received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association for the past thirty-three consecutive years, Chemeketa is committed to responsible stewardship and transparency.
Thanks to an excellent AA- credit rating from S&P Global Ratings, Chemeketa was able to secure approximately $4.6 million in addition to the $75,320,000 par value on the first tranche of voter approved bonds. These additional proceeds can be used on projects in accordance with the voter approved ballot title. This is at no added expense to the taxpayers who passed the bond, as investors were willing to pay a premium in exchange for receiving a lower default risk.
In their rating summary, S&P highlighted the depth and breadth of the district’s tax base and strong financial management.
Chemeketa Bond Project Status
General Updates
May 20, 2025 – Election (and resulting bond passage)
August 2025 – Certification & Bond Sale – Tranche One: Thanks to an excellent AA- credit rating from S&P Global Ratings, Chemeketa was able to secure approximately $4.6 million in addition to the $75,320,000 par value on the first tranche of voter approved bonds. These additional proceeds can be used on projects in accordance with the voter approved ballot title. This is at no added expense to the taxpayers who passed the bond, as investors were willing to pay a premium in exchange for receiving a lower default risk.
In their rating summary, S&P highlighted the depth and breadth of the district’s tax base and strong financial management.
Fall 2025 – Teams Convened for Tranche One Projects: The Capital Projects Action Team (CPAT), a representative group of internal stakeholders, was convened to facilitate internal communication and awareness regarding progress of bond-funded projects. It was also charged with encouraging input and engagement from employees and students.
Teams associated with each major project in Tranche One were created and will report back to CPAT to facilitate transparency and information-sharing with the larger college community. The general charter for those teams can be found in this document.
Teams have been convened for the following projects:
- Building 7 Renovation
- Trades Center
- Woodburn Science Lab
- YVC Building 2 Classroom
- Brooks Center Classroom
- Teaching and Learning Space Upgrades
Project Updates
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Building 7
The goal of this project is to realize the full potential of the existing facility to promote and support the physical and wellness related educational offerings and activities, and to revitalize and preserve an aging and outdated asset that has tremendous potential to serve the needs of the college community. In realizing these initial goals, we send a message to our community that vitality and wellness are important aspects of both academic and lifetime achievement.
February-May 2025: A project team representative of key stakeholders convened in spring of 2025, architects were hired, and design conception began for a defined portion of the larger project. This work was initiated with state-provided grant dollars, with the full concept to be completed contingent upon bond funding.
Fall 2025: The project team and architects moved into schematic design – a phase in which the concepts developed up to this point are translated into a more concrete yet still flexible set of designs. The college began the selection process for Construction Manager/General Contractor who will work alongside the architects to improve design, cost control, and scheduling.
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Community Fields & Courts
Baseball/Softball
Description: This project will update the baseball and softball fields with artificial turf surfaces which improve drainage and will increase opportunities for Chemeketa and community teams to play during wet Oregon weather. It is estimated that these fields will be completed in the spring term of 2026.
June 2025: Thanks to a collaboration with Marion Berries Baseball, the new local team in the West Coast summer collegiate wood-bat league, improvements were made to our baseball field with college and community/private funds. This generated significant public interest in the larger baseball/softball improvement concept to be funded by the bond sale in future months.
Fall 2025: Construction begins to update the baseball and softball fields with artificial turf surfaces.
Soccer Field
Description: This project will update the soccer field with artificial turf to improve drainage and increase opportunities for Chemeketa and community teams to play during wet Oregon weather.
More updates coming soon.
Community Courts
Description: Chemeketa considers options to update the community courts (volleyball, tennis, and basketball) around Building 7. Some of these improvements could include the expansion of courts, or repurposing of existing courts for new activities such as pickleball.
More updates coming soon.
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Trades Center
Description: The project will provide flexible lab and shop space to expand hands-on training in high-demand trades such as welding, fabrication, and carpentry. It will help to strengthen partnerships with industry, support apprenticeships and workforce training, and prepare students for family-wage careers that meet the region’s economic needs.
Fall 2025: A project team representative of key stakeholders was created to help the college develop a scope of work and advise the design team to ensure that the project meets programmatic needs.
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Yamhill Valley Campus Building 2
Description: The Yamhill Valley Campus (YVC) Building 2 Classroom Update project will create essential flexible instructional space to meet critical community needs and evolving workforce demands.
The core purpose of this project is to create adaptable classrooms and labs that can serve multiple Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs simultaneously and over time. This flexibility is paramount, as it allows the college to quickly adapt the facilities to serve different programs as they evolve, ensuring a rapid response to local workforce needs.
The updates will support the expansion of vital CTE offerings, including:
- Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) classes.
- Expanded Medical Assisting offerings.
- Early Childhood Education (ECE) and other CTE programming based on community needs and demands.
By prioritizing flexible space, the YVC2 update ensures maximum utility and a sustained ability to train the skilled workforce critical to the Yamhill Valley community.
Fall 2025: The project is currently in the design phase with construction set to take place during the winter term.
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Brooks Regional Training Center
Description: The reconfiguration of Brooks spaces will enhance Chemeketa’s capabilities in promoting required training to better prepare student candidates for industry. The spaces will improve workable areas for the complex class and training, including a scenario space.
Fall 2025: A project team representative of key stakeholders was created to help the college develop a scope of work and advise the design team to ensure that the project meets programmatic needs.
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Woodburn Center Science Lab
Description: This project will allow students who live in this rapidly growing area of our service district to be able to complete their two-year associate’s degree in Oregon Transfer (AAOT) locally. It will be the first space at this Chemeketa location that can accommodate science classes requiring a specially designed laboratory.
Fall 2025: A project team representative of key stakeholders was created to help the college develop a scope of work and advise the design team.
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Upgrades to Teaching/Learning Spaces
Description: This project will modernize classrooms to keep pace with changes in technology and academic best practices. These upgrades will apply to learning environments across the college district in both lower division transfer and career and technical education.
Fall 2025: A project team representative of key stakeholders was created to help the college develop a scope of work and advise the design team to ensure that the outcomes result in upgrading teaching and learning spaces to better meet the mission of the college and achieve maximum positive impact for teaching and learning in the long and short term.