OSU-Cascades tests new campus

Oregon State University-Cascades Campus found no major concerns during its first environmental assessment of one of the two sites where it hopes to build a four-year university.

PBS Engineering + Environmental completed a phase I environmental site assessment of the 10.44-acre plot at 1500 S.W. Chandler Ave. A phase I assessment looks for existing or potential sources of environmental contamination using records, interviews and visual evaluations. The university plans to build its first buildings on this site, aiming to have a 146,000-square-foot “living and learning center” ready for the 2015-16 academic year. The campus will later expand onto an adjacent 46.29-acre site that is currently an active pumice mine. Assessments of this second property are not complete.

According to the study of the smaller site, “no recognized environmental conditions are associated with the subject property.” However, the report did identify the possibility that material from a demolition landfill to the north of the property may have encroached below the site.

“We didn’t find anything that would have made someone say, ‘Don’t buy this property,’” said Kelly Sparks, associate vice president for finance and strategic planning. “However, the assessment did identify the possibility of encroachment from the demolition landfill. We are boring holes to see if there is any non-native material, and one of the first holes has found non-native material.”

The Deschutes County Bend Demolition Landfill, in use from 1972 to 1997, took in construction, demolition, industrial and commercial waste. More testing will be completed before the second phase II environmental assessment is finalized.

Given the presence of non-native material, Sparks said the university will seek a lot line adjustment that will allow OSU-Cascades to trade land that has been encroached upon with unaffected land owned by Deschutes County. This trade has not been finalized as the extent of encroachment has not been determined, but Sparks said “the county is open to the plan.”

The university is eyeing the landfill as an area to possibly expand in the long-term.

“We’re 56 acres now, but maybe down the road we could be 100 at some much later point,” Sparks said. “Whether we would use it or have a neighbor there is unclear, but we’re here to support the county with working on this site. I think it’s in everyone’s best interest to have something there.”

The environmental assessments of both sites are part of OSU-Cascades’ due diligence period, which runs six months with the option of an additional 60 days. If no major issues are detected, the university will pay $4.98 million for the smaller site and $7.875 million for the larger site.