SOU’s Cascade complex to host variety of first responder training exercises

(Ashland, Ore.) - First responders are likely to become a common sight at Southern Oregon University's defunct Cascade student housing complex for the remainder of this summer, as the university has offered the site for a variety of training exercises before demolition of the sprawling facility ramps up in the fall.

Agencies including Ashland Fire & Rescue, Ashland Police Department, Medford Police Department, Medford Fire Department and SWAT teams from Medford, Jackson County and Oregon State Police are coordinating with SOU Campus Public Safety & Parking to conduct drills at the site through Aug. 31. The groups are planning to practice their procedures for building searches, tactical search and rescue, door and window breaching, ladder operations and more.

"This collaboration helps foster our relationships with our first responders and provide them with the opportunity to gather data and experience on the tactics and tools they use to keep our community safe," said Robert Gibson, director of SOU's Campus Public Safety & Parking.

SOU programs and offices that are located near the Cascade Complex - a five-acre parcel at the southeast corner of campus - have been advised to expect a frequent presence of first responders in the area, now through the end of August. Each agency will post "Training In Progress" signs outside the complex to advise neighbors and passersby that they are present for training, rather than a live event.

The Cascade complex, which was completed in 1967, has been largely vacant for the past decade, when the costs associated with extending its useful life became prohibitive. The facility - eight residence halls situated around a central cafeteria - has numerous roof leaks, defunct HVAC and steam systems, and degraded plumbing. At least two of its wings have been condemned.

The 2021 Oregon State Legislature allocated $3.5 million for SOU to raze the Cascade Complex, which will eliminate a $12 million deferred maintenance backlog on the facility - the amount it would cost to correct its current physical deficits. Some interior destruction is underway this summer and fall, and general demolition is expected to begin in early 2025. The project will include concrete crushing to fill and level the basement and old tunnels that were used for the structure's mechanical systems.

The site is expected to be ready for redevelopment by the middle of 2025. President Rick Bailey and other SOU leaders have begun exploratory conversations with potential private partners for the development of a senior living facility to be built at the Cascade complex location. The senior living center is seen as an entrepreneurial opportunity the create a unique synergy between its residents, SOU students, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at SOU and the university. The facility could be completed as early as fall 2027.

This summer's pre-demolition access to the Cascade complex will give first responder agencies an opportunity to train in situations and surroundings that are not typically available to them.

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