New OSU-Cascades campus in home stretch

Oregon State University-Cascades soon will have brand new facilities for students in southwest Bend, and with opening day about three months away, progress continues on the 10-acre campus.

“We’re on schedule, and things are moving along really well,” John Condon, facilities and operation manager for OSU-Cascades, said Tuesday.

The new campus facilities, which will partially open this fall, feature an academic center, a residential facility and a 250-seat dining hall.

Condon said the new campus amenities, especially the residence halls, are crucial for incoming students, since housing in Central Oregon is difficult to come by.

“They don’t have to worry about utility bills or cleaning their rooms or furniture,” Conden said. “All of the different things that come with having your own place are there, so they can focus on education and doing well in school.”

Condon, who has been in the construction business for 10 years, said this project is one of the most difficult he has worked on, but also the most rewarding.

“OSU-Cascades has existed in the classroom, but not really on the ground before now, so everything is new and we have to come up with everything from scratch,” Condon said. “So security systems and access control and standards on how the building operates is important.”

The campus will not only allow students to attend Central Oregon’s first and only four-year university, but to start a legacy.

“To build what will be used on this campus for the next 80 to 100 years is exciting,” Conden said. “I think we will build a lot of traditions in the next few years.”

OSU-Cascades will open its new campus this September.