CC Minutes - 09/19/01 Work Session

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Ms. Taylor, seconded by Ms. Bettman, moved to amend the motion to construct the fire station first as quickly as possible. Ms. Nathanson said she assumed the order of construction of the two facilities was the topic of discussion among staff and the executive team. She was reluctant to change the staff recommendation given that the staff had looked at the needs of the organization. Mr. Johnson said that during the staff discussion, it was agreed that the two facilities were the first priority, with no difference between them in terms of degree of risk. He indicated staff disagreement with the amendment. Mr. Pap~ agreed with Ms. Nathanson's remarks. He respected the staff opinion on the order of construction. He said that after the events of the previous week, it was clear both agencies were very important. Mr. Meisner also concurred with the staff recommendation. He agreed a downtown fire station was important, but not at the expense of the Police Special Operations. Ms. Bettman said she had seconded the motion for the sake of discussion. She was glad to hear the two facilities were considered equally important by staff. Responding to a question from Ms. Bettman regarding the time line for proceeding with the two facilities, Mr. Carlson said that staff would return to the council with that information early in 2002. He said that it was likely the staff recommendation would involve a bond measure in November 2002 so both facilities could be built. Ms. Bettman asked if separating the two facilities would result in one facility being built sooner than anticipated. Mr. Carlson said that it was possible; staff would want to examine the two facilities and determine how far along it was with site design and acquisition before that was decided. Mr. Johnson thought Ms. Bettman correct; because one would cost less than the combined total of the two facilities, the City would be able to build one much more quickly. Which one was constructed first would be a council decision. Ms. Bettman asked about the damage that fire equipment was suffering. Mr. Johnson said that was a concern, but added that the building had been damaging fire equipment for as long as it had existed. He added that the problem had been fixed and equipment was not being damaged beyond repair. He thought there was a chance for greater loss of life for Police Special Operations given its location in the basement of City Hall. He would recommend constructing the Police Special Operations facility first if the City had to choose between the two. Responding to a question from Mr. Rayor regarding the location of Police Special Operations at the Roosevelt Boulevard site, Mr. Johnson reminded the council that it had authorized staff to go forward with master planning for that site. He noted that the City had purchased an additional two properties in that area from willing sellers. The amendment to the motion failed, 1:7; Ms. Taylor voting yes. MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 19, 2001 Page 10 Work Session