Back to the Drawing Board: New Plan for Wells Modernization
- Hillsdale News
- May 5
- 5 min read
[May 5, 2025]
Ballots have arrived for the May 20 special election, which include a bond measure in the amount of $1.83 billion for Portland Public Schools (PPS). Ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday, May 20, 2025, or be dropped at an official drop site by 8:00pm that day. Ballot drop sites are located at the Hillsdale Library and the Barbur Blvd. A-Boy.
PPS paused the modernization planning for Ida B. Wells High School earlier this year, as skyrocketing construction estimates caused concern among the public and school board members.
The PPS Board directed planners to reduce costs to replace Wells, Cleveland, and Jefferson high schools, however the overall bond amount remains the same. The goal is to lower the costs for the new high schools and use leftover funds for much-needed upgrades at elementary and middle schools across the city.
Construction budgets will not be finalized before the bond vote, leaving voters in the dark as to the final costs of the projects they are voting on. However, the bond vote was already delayed from last fall, and any further delays will result in still higher costs due to costs of materials and financing that will continue to rise.
The design process has resumed, and at a recent design open house at Wells, PPS senior project manager Donna Bezio said that around $20 million in savings has been achieved so far—from earlier estimates approaching $450 million—and that staff is confident that more can be found.
Stadium to stay in place
The design previously approved by the school board called for building an entirely new track and field stadium, realigning it to run north-south rather than its current east-west orientation. Bezio and representatives from Bora Architects said that while keeping the stadium in place doesn’t impact the budget greatly, it opens up the rest of the site to more efficient use, which will in turn lower costs.
Among the benefits of keeping the stadium in place are space for a more generous and welcoming front entry, retention of parking spaces, and better alignment of curriculum areas in the new building.
Enrollment projections and building size
As part of the cost-containment efforts, the overall size of the building has been reduced, while retaining all of the curriculum spaces required by the district's Educational Specifications, the guiding document for all school modernizations. PPS's Bezio said that right-sizing the building won't come at the cost of "any bit of student experience."
The new building will accommodate 1,700 students, the standard required by the Educational Specifications, with room to accommodate higher enrollment if necessary.
Recent projections from the Population Research Center at Portland State University show a significant decline in PPS enrollment over the next decade, calling into question whether PPS should close one or more high schools as well as the size of the new schools.
As reported by Willamette Week, the center's director Ethan Sharygin acknowledges that the usefulness of the projections decreases over longer periods of time. While he is confident of the projections in the near term, in 15 years population trends could change. As well, school board member Christy Splitt pointed out in an email that "Projections have been disproven as recently as at McDaniel High School, which was projected to have lower enrollment than it does right now; that beautiful new school is at capacity." She notes that building for a lower enrollment at Wells would mean that, upon re-opening, there would barely be space for the students enrolled now.
The design also includes space for a student health center, though if a community partner is not available to operate it initially, that space may temporarily house other school programs like Career and Technical Education (CTE). Previous plans for a Teen Parent Center have been dropped.
Fencing, Parking, and Pedestrian Access
Community questions at the open house included concerns about fencing, parking, and overall accessibility. While fences are a standard feature under PPS educational specifications for high school modernizations, architect Amelie Reynaud from Bora Architecture pointed out that public access throughways would not be blocked off by fences. She also acknowledged that there could be flexibility and further discussion with the community as to what areas could potentially remain unfenced.
The district is aiming for no net loss of parking spaces, though the final count is still being determined. Earlier versions of the plan had significant reductions, but the design team is prioritizing neighborhood feedback around the number of campus parking spaces.
In addition to vehicle access, the new plan includes a significant amount of covered, dry bike parking, both at Wells and at Rieke Elementary. Improvements are also planned for the pedestrian trail along the west side of campus, adjacent the Rieke parking lot.
Farmers Market acknowledged as important community asset
Bezio stated that the plans call for space for the Hillsdale Farmer's Market to operate in the same space after construction is complete. Whether it will be able to continue operations at the current site during construction is still unclear.
Bezio reassured attendees that the importance of the market has been emphasized in all presentations to the school board and acknowledged the dozens of letters sent by community members in support of it. She expressed cautious optimism that a solution will be found that allows the market to stay in place once constructions plans are developed by the contractor, however she was clear that no promises are being made at this point.
Farmers' Market manager Lacey Waldon has expressed concerns over the market's ability to survive if forced to relocate. A relocation would be costly, if a suitable location could even be found, placing a potentially fatal financial burden on the market.
Construction Timeline and Next Steps
While there is no official start date yet for construction, the project will miss its original groundbreaking goal of fall of 2026. Once it begins, the project is expected to take two years for the building and another year for the fields. During that time, contractors will use the stadium and multi-use field for staging. The track will close temporarily, but the pool, which is operated by Portland Parks & Recreation, will remain open during summer months.
Watch for additional open house events as the plans progress and continue to send feedback to Wellsbond@pps.net. Go to the bond webpage for updates and details of past and future meetings of the Design Advisory Group (DAG), a volunteer committee made up of staff, parents, and community members. DAG meetings are open to the public, but only DAG members will participate in planning activities.
—Valeurie Friedman
Thoughts? Questions? Answers? Let us know.
