La Grande School District to sell land to Grande Ronde Hospital

Published 3:00 pm Saturday, January 27, 2024

LA GRANDE — The Grande Ronde Hospital campus is set to expand.

Grande Ronde Hospital and Clinics has agreed to purchase a 1.1-acre parcel of land from the La Grande School District at Sunset Drive and K Avenue for $999,900, according to La Grande School District Superintendent George Mendoza.

The land, adjacent to Grande Ronde Hospital, will be used for a future health care facility or expanded parking, or both, according to a GRH news release.

On the parcel now are temporary modulars being used by Bouten Construction, of Spokane, Washington, during a $72.5 million renovation and expansion project at Grande Ronde Hospital. The building project started in April 2022 and is scheduled to be completed later this year.

The 1.1-acre parcel the hospital is set to purchase was part of the old Central Elementary School playground from 1954 through 2017. The school closed in 2017 after a new building opened at 701 H Ave., and the old buildings were then torn down.

Jeremy Davis, president and chief executive officer of the hospital, said the upcoming sale is an indication of the excellent working relationship the hospital has with the La Grande School District.

“The strong partnership between GRH and the LGSD continues to provide opportunities to work together for the benefit of the people we both serve,” he said. “Providing the best health care and education for our children further inspires the growth of strong families and a vibrant community.”

The money the La Grande School District will receive for the land will be used to help fund the high school’s new home construction program.

Students in the LHS Tiger Home Construction class are helping GCT Land Management, of La Grande, build an approximately 2,000-square-foot, two-story townhouse duplex for Grande Ronde Hospital. The duplex, being built at Third Street and I Avenue, will be purchased by Grande Ronde Hospital and will help provide housing for new staff moving into the community.

The townhouse duplex is the first of many the LHS construction program plans to build in the coming years. The future houses also will be sold and the money from the sales will be reinvested into the program.

Mendoza said the money the school district will receive from the sale of the Sunset Drive parcel will put La Grande High School’s Tiger Home Construction program on stronger ground financially, allowing the school to continue operating it without drawing money from the district’s general fund.

“It will provide the program with stable funding,” he said. “It will help it be self-sustaining into the future.”

Mendoza noted the sale of the land will not impact student activities in the Sunset Drive and K Avenue area. Students will continue to have access to the district’s nearby tennis courts and will be able to participate in football and track practices in the vicinity.

The superintendent said he is delighted the land sale will put Grande Ronde Hospital into a better position to offer more health care services and provide patients with easier access to them.

“We want to help create a future that is better for everyone,” Mendoza said.