Santiam Canyon School District chooses Mass Ply for functionality, speed of construction, community pride
Like many public schools across the country, Santiam Canyon School District in Mill City, Oregon faced aging facilities that no longer accommodated its growing student population. The rural district needed innovative ways to make multiple improvements and add square footage with quality construction, while holding to a tight budget. The only way to afford capital improvements of this size was to go out for a bond levy.
In a rural timber town, using local wood products was a key factor in gaining community buy-in. Supporting local businesses is a crucial value for the Santiam Canyon community. Voters approved the $17.9M bond in May 2019; construction began in March 2020.
This entire project has been fun to watch, but Mass Ply is the showstopper! We have been amazed by the enormity of the product, the precision of it and the speed at which it is installed. It is almost unfathomable how fast a structure can go from nothing to fully enclosed with Mass Ply.
Todd Miller, Santiam Canyon School District Superintendent
The district sought new and innovative construction methods, and they looked to local industries to build a new junior/senior high school, add an elementary school cafeteria, add a gymnasium and make various site improvements for its schools. By using Modern Building Systems’ factory-built components and Freres Engineered Wood’s new Mass Ply Panels, the district was able to save money because a significant amount of labor was done off-site, saving on costs and allowing for quicker construction. The project showcased Freres’ Mass Ply throughout the construction, including beams, columns, roofs and walls.
It took 3,500 sq. feet of Mass Ply to complete the Santiam Elementary servery (cafeteria) walls and 23,000 sq. ft. of Mass Ply to create the Santiam Junior/Senior High School gym walls, roof, beams and columns. “Using the locally conceived and produced Mass Ply added an important element of community pride that helped pass a bond levy in a district that had never supported such a levy,” said district Superintendent Todd Miller.
The product itself is impressive, but when you also consider that it is locally produced, it is sure to be a subject of pride for our community. The support of Freres and their contributions to our project will ensure a successful end product for our community and our students.
Todd Miller, Santiam Canyon School District Superintendent
Download a PDF of the Santiam Canyon School District Case Study