Outage Map
Redmond Campus Improvements Support a Growing Cooperative
By Brent ten Pas
Growth in Central Oregon isn’t slowing down—and neither is the demand for electricity.
New neighborhoods continue to take shape across Central Electric Cooperative’s service territory. In southeast Bend, construction on more than 1,400 homes is underway, while northwest Redmond has added nearly 1,000 residences in recent years. CEC meets this steady growth, and membership continues to rise.
Meeting growth requires more than poles and wires. It also means ensuring the co-op’s facilities and operations keep pace with the needs of today’s and future members.
That’s the driving force behind the Redmond Campus Improvement Project— a long-planned investment designed to support reliable, efficient service today and for decades to come.
A Campus That’s Reached Its Limits
Central Electric’s Redmond Service Center has served the cooperative well since its construction in 1977. But over the past 5 decades, like Central Oregon, the co-op has changed dramatically.
Since then, the CEC workforce has grown by more than 40%, and the number of metered services has increased by more than 400%.
While existing buildings remain safe for daily use, they reflect standards of decades past and are not equipped for today’s demands. The Redmond facilities are at full capacity, and their layout and structural limitations cannot accommodate personnel, modern equipment, fleet needs, and evolving technology.
In addition, the buildings fall short of current standards for fire protection, seismic resiliency, and energy efficiency.
After extensive evaluation, including strategic planning that began in 2022 and expert facility assessments, the cooperative determined that continuing to patch and expand some of the aging buildings was no longer the most cost-effective path forward.
Why Build New?
While the board of directors considered remodeling, they uncovered significant drawbacks. Upgrading the existing campus would require substantial investment and would only extend the facilities’ useful life for a brief period. It would also introduce additional costs, such as temporary workspace and construction inefficiencies.
In contrast, building new facilities provides a more effective long-term investment and solutions to meet today’s needs, avoid short-term expenditures, and allow for future growth.
The project includes a new administration building, a warehouse, and truck bays, along with modest upgrades to a few existing structures to extend their useful lives.
“These improvements are about ensuring we have the space, tools, and infrastructure to continue delivering the reliable service our members expect— not just today, but for decades to come,” President and CEO Brad Wilson says. “Our current facilities have served us well, but they simply weren’t built for the size and demands of today’s cooperative.”
Importantly, improvements will take place at the co-op’s current location in Redmond, allowing Central Electric to continue operating from a central hub that efficiently serves existing members and high-growth areas.
What It Means for Members
While the project focuses on facilities, members will benefit directly from enhanced reliability and efficient services.
A modernized operations center will allow crews to store and access materials more efficiently, reducing response times when outages occur or maintenance is needed. Improved building layouts will enhance coordination between engineering, dispatch, line crews, and member services—helping the cooperative operate more effectively overall.
The renovated campus will provide:
- Better protection of critical equipment, with indoor vehicle storage and climate-controlled inventory areas.
- Enhanced employee protections, with updated workspaces, improved traffic flow, and modern safety systems.
- Room to grow, ensuring the co-op can continue serving a larger membership without operational strain.
Together, these improvements translate into a more responsive, efficient system that supports the reliability members depend on every day.
Timeline & Investment
Construction began in spring 2026 with completion targeted for the fall of 2027. Throughout the project, the Redmond campus remains fully operational, with no interruption to payments, inquiries, or support.
The estimated total cost of the project is $25,000,000. Like most large infrastructure investments, it will be financed through long-term borrowing, allowing costs to be spread over the life of the facilities. This approach helps keep the overall impact manageable, resulting in an approximate 2% increase in rate revenue.
Investing in the Co-Op’s Future
As a not-for-profit, member-owned cooperative, Central Electric approaches every investment with a long-term perspective, balancing today’s needs with tomorrow’s responsibilities.
The Redmond Campus Improvement Project reflects that mindset.
It’s not simply about replacing aging buildings. It’s about ensuring the co-op has the space and infrastructure needed to keep delivering safe, reliable, and affordable power in a region that keeps growing.
Planning and building today allows CEC to meet increasing demand, maintain strong service, and remain a dependable partner for members well into the future.