Cornelius Elementary School (2024)

The first slab pour took place on Sept. 16-17, 2024, creating the floor for the cafeteria, kitchen and mechanical/electrical room. 

July 15, 2024 - several trenches have been covered up as work continues to lay remaining pipe. Crews are preparing for the next round of concrete footings by preparing to add plinth beams to some of the existing footings (which help to distribue the building's load evenly over the foundation), marking out and excavating additional areas, and adding in frames for the next concrete pour.

 

July 10, 2024 - underground utility pipes continue to be laid in the excavated trenches that span the width and breadth of the building.

July 3, 2024 - trenches for utility pipes are being excavated on the site before the next concrete pour. These white pipes are for water distribution.

 

June 18, 2024 - forms are nearly completed for the first concrete pour on Monday as a crew member double-checks the framing for footings for part of the gym. Inside the form is steel rebar to further strengthen the footings.

June 12, 2024 - framing for the concrete footings is being placed in the excavated trenches, including the base for the elevator shaft (photo 2 - location is indicated by the pink arrow in photo 1) and for one of the footings for the commons/gym area (photo 3 - green arrow shown in photo 1). The frames provide the forms in which the concrete will be poured.

June 5, 2024 - more footings are excavated. Crew members will work to compact the ground inside the footings to prepare for eventual framing and pouring of the concrete to fill them.

May 29, 2024 - crew members excavate the trenches where the building's concrete footings will be poured. Note the lines marking where additional excavation will take place around the site.

May 14, 2024 - at the north side of the campus, grading is taking place to smooth out the soil for the new building and parking lots.

May 7, 2024 - Work is underway to excavate and grade the site to prepare for construction of the new building and parking lots. For your safety, please stay out of the fenced construction zones.

The Cornelius Elementary School community celebrated the ceremonial beginning of construction of the replacement campus on April 3, 2024. Read Nick Mora's article in the Forest Grove News Times.

FGSD's design consultant, Mahlum Architects, recently released the final design renderings in February 2024 for the new building to replace the existing Cornelius Elementary School.

 

The new Cornelius Elementary will be a two-story building constructed at the rear of the current campus, with a capacity of 500 pre-K to grade 4 students. An entry plaza and expansive lobby area are sited at the main entrance. The school community will enjoy its new gym, cafeteria and commons area, family activity area, and library. Four interior activity areas, within each of the second-floor classroom wings, enable students to partake in group learning and other activities. An outdoor classroom further extends the educational space. Installation of modern classroom technology will provide enriched learning in this digital age.

Students will stay active on pre-K and regular playgrounds as well as a new playfield. Safety and security measures are incorporated throughout, including electronic key card access, video doorbell at the entry, security cameras, alarms, and monitoring. Key safety features are the building’s construction to modern immediate occupancy seismic standards and the separation of the bus loop from the parent dropoff and parking area to enhance safety of pedestrians and vehicles.

 

The District is planning to keep the current gym and cafeteria spaces and demolish the remainder of the building. Staff is currently in discussions with the City of Cornelius to purchase these spaces for a possible community center.

Pence Construction is the general contractor for this bond project. The project budget is $48 million, funded from the $121.9 million bond approved by voters in November 2022. Construction is officially set to begin with a groundbreaking event on Wednesday, April 3, at 3:45 p.m., to which the community is invited. The new campus will be completed in August 2025, and open to students for their first day of school in September 2025.