District awards RFP to Kohl Architects for long-range facilities plan; assessments to start this fall

Facilities staff reported the district posted an RFP for a long-range facilities plan and received four proposals. "We scored those last week, and we both came up with 1 clear, winner of that, and it's gonna be Kohl Architects," Facilities Director Blitz told the board.

Blitz said Kohl Architects has a local office in Bend and regional offices in Portland and Washington, and that the contract will be finalized so the firm can begin forming a long-range-facilities committee. Building-condition assessments and meetings are expected to begin in late September and October; the state (ODE) will also require a separate assessment to meet its database requirements.

Blitz said the architects aim for a planning deliverable around April 6, which would give the district time to present findings and recommendations to the board and, if the board chooses, move toward a bond measure in November. Staff said the two independent assessments (architect and ODE) will be compared and used to inform master plans and any future capital campaigns.