FARM II schedule depends on Salem
By Terry Murry on Thursday, March 30th, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON – Blue Mountain Community College wants to get construction of FARM II underway as soon as this year’s Pendleton Round-Up is over. It may not be able to though. BMCC President Mark Browning said they need additional state funding, called gap funding, due to the increasing costs of construction.
“If the Legislature is able to help us with that, we can do everything on time and we’d be done by the fall of 2024,” he said.
Browning said Sen. Bill Hansell has warned him that BMCC’s request for gap funding is one of many from throughout the state.
“There are public projects all over the state – roads, bridges, grade schools, fire stations, sewer plants – that are in partial stages of completion and because of inflation on construction costs, labor, and everything else, they’re just not going to make what the project was,” he said. “We’re in that boat.”
Browning says FARM II has already been reduced from its original size. In addition to classroom space, it will contain an indoor arena that will be home to the college’s championship rodeo team.
