The Corvallis Public School Board is overseeing the conversion of a temporary steel structure — originally intended for a temporary cafeteria space — into a gym and multi-purpose space using insurance money.
The board will likely be requesting a bond levy to get the gymnasium project across the finish line, for things like a potential second story or a weight room, and is expected to hold town hall meetings in the near future to get community input.
The district hopes the new gym would alleviate the need to share the space — fifth and eighth graders are currently taking physical education at the same time — as well as allow for practices to be held at regular hours, as some have had to practice before school at 5 a.m.
A construction crew works on the new Corvallis Middle School Gym.
There was some backlash on social media to the project — with commenters posting questions and critiques over the use of funds — but one former Corvallis School Board member posted a lengthy comment to set the record straight.
“I was part of this decision, and it was the right decision!” former School Board Chairman Mark Fournier said as part of his comment on Facebook.
Fournier was on the board for about five years during the pandemic and stepped down last fall.
A broken pipe, an insurance settlement and leftover steel
It all goes back to when a pipe burst in the old middle school cafeteria space in 2022.
There were two pipe bursts in the fall during cold snaps, but what was really “catastrophic” was the flood caused by a burst pipe on Christmas Eve, Superintendent Pete Joseph told the Ravalli Republic on Friday.
“Water cascaded throughout the roof system, all the way down the walls in most of the cafeteria kitchen area,” he said.
Fournier said that was the cafeteria he ate in when he attended middle school back in ‘81. He said the old cafeteria building was a multi-purpose structure with classrooms that was added onto over time.
But in trying to fix the broken pipe, they discovered a host of code violations such as improper wiring and plumbing, as well as asbestos. Joseph said in June of 2023 the district condemned the building to keep students and faculty safe.
Liberty Mutual was required to provide a temporary cafeteria structure while working with the school board on a permanent solution. The district had a $25 million “excess use policy” to cover the temporary fix.
Joseph and the board proposed renovating the “blue building,” which sits just next door to the condemned cafeteria and was largely used for extra storage.
But Liberty Mutual wanted to explore different options and ultimately settled on setting up trailers adjacent to the school district building. This didn’t last long though, as the trailers were exposed to the snow during a tough winter, and the ramps and stairs were icy.
After a handful of workers' compensation claims and an oven door blowing off, Joseph said it was clear to both the district and Liberty Mutual the trailers weren’t working. Liberty Mutual’s initial idea was to put a metal structure over the trailers — and bought the materials to do so.
But other issues were coming up — like how to ventilate the metal structure with the trailers inside it — and the insurance company ultimately decided to settle in June of 2024 with the board for $2.6 million to cover a temporary solution. The board put those funds towards renovating the “blue building” like they originally planned.
After spending $700,000 gutting the building and a new roof, the “blue building” now serves as the temporary cafeteria on campus.
Fournier said this was a structure that would last “five times longer.”
“It's a nice building, it's good for the kids, it's going to save you on utilities, electricity — all that stuff — because you did it right,” he said.
In the meantime, the metal Liberty Mutual intended to use for the temporary structure is still on the ground next to where the trailers used to be. The district wants to put it to good use, and after taking public input decided to turn it into a gym and multi-use facility.
The construction is happening in phases, with the first already underway. Construction crews are working to get the metal structure up, a concrete slab down, a gym floor and other basics like insulation and doors. The district expects phase one to be complete fall this year.
The first phase is completely covered by the remaining $1.9 million leftover from the original $2.6 million settlement. Fournier said the contract for the first phase isn’t “cost-plus,” meaning if the contractor goes over the agreed upon amount, that company has to pay it, not the district, which he said is “rarely done.”
The board is taking public input on concepts proposed for phase two — which include a second story with an elevator, classrooms, bleachers, a concession stand, a weight training room and a changing room.
The original claim for the condemned old cafeteria is still ongoing, with the insurance and the district debating what would be the best path forward, and it remains closed to students and staff.
In a post on the school district Facebook page, the district outlined the plans for the steel structure, which left some commenters with more questions.
Britney Sweeney asked, “What's the plan with the old cafeteria building, and why wasn't it torn down and replaced with the insurance funds?”
Commenter John Springer said, “Insurance settlement? What happened? Details somewhere?”
Commenters in previous meetings have voiced wanting a performing arts space over a gymnasium, including commenters on Facebook.
Veronica Werhane commented, “Did we need another gym? Could’ve used a cafeteria or a performing arts studio.”
But board members have talked about the potential of holding concerts or other large community events in this space.
There were also commenters in support of a gym, and the district saw the benefit for a gym as well, citing the shared classes with different grades and early morning practices.
“We’re the only A school our size without a middle school gym,” Joseph said.
The board knows the likelihood of having to go to the community for a bond to get across the finish line for this facility is pretty high — and at recent meetings have been emphasizing the need to get in front of the public to get people excited for a potential community asset.
Joseph said he expects the board will host a town hall in the near future. The board has held special meetings to discuss potential plans for phase two which are also open to the public.
