WATCH: Bend Senior High School completes new main parking lot
Harley Coldiron
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Bend Senior High School has completed its new main parking lot, marking the close of phase one of its redesign project. Phase two construction is scheduled to begin in summer 2026.
The new parking lot serves as a significant milestone in the school’s ongoing transformation.
The newly completed main parking lot will allow the new main entrance to officially open off 9th Street in August 2026. Upon the project’s completion in fall 2028, the campus will gain 102 more parking spaces than it has previously had on its footprint.
The parking lot currently features new paving, hardscaping, landscaping, parking stall striping, directional traffic flow, and wayfinding signage.
Bend High’s parking lot before paving.
Parking lot after the paving and upgrades.
Chris Reese, Principal of Bend Senior High School, expressed enthusiasm for the new additions. Reese said he is “ecstatic with the way it looks.” He noted the new light poles and the addition of a new reader board and Bend Senior High signage create an “incredible sense of pride and arrival for our campus community.”
The new main parking lot represents more than infrastructure, symbolizing the successful completion of Phase one and the momentum toward the school’s future, according to Reese.
The redesign also includes a new Bend-La Pine Schools transportation bus drop-off, which will be located off Glenwood. This addition aims to improve traffic flow and campus access.
While parking availability will be tighter during the next two years of construction, the temporary inconvenience is expected to be worthwhile for the “much-improved experience for students, staff and families alike” upon phase two completion.
Reese highlighted the collaborative efforts of the project partners, which include BBT Architects, Kirby Nagelhout Construction Company, and Bend-La Pine Schools Facilities Development. Reese stated he “cannot express enough appreciation and gratitude for the collaboration, professionalism and commitment these teams have shown throughout this process.”
Reese emphasized that “The future of Bend Senior High School is becoming visible every day, and we could not be more thrilled with the way this campus has been designed and constructed. This is an exciting time for our students, staff, families, and the entire Bend community.”
Phase two construction for the Bend Senior High School redesign is set to begin in summer 2026. The new main entrance will officially open in August 2026. The final project completion is expected in fall 2028.