CC Minutes - 09/12/05 Mtg - Laserfiche WebLink

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Roll call vote; the motion to approve the Consent Calendar passed unanimously, 8:0. 3. PUBLIC HEARING: City Hall Complex City Manager Taylor introduced Principal Facility Project Manager for the Facilities Division, Mike Penwell, and asked him to frame the issue prior to the public hearing. Mr. Penwell stated that the hearing marked the beginning of a community-based master planning process to determine the future of City Hall. He underscored that the Eugene City Hall was approaching the end of its useful life without significant capital reinvestment into the building. He said the building was completed in 1964 and contained approximately 78,000 useable square feet of space as well as parking for 200 vehicles. He noted that it had originally housed all of the city's downtown functions but now only housed the Eugene Police Department (EPD), Municipal Court, City Manager's Office (CMO), and Human Resources and Risk Services (HRRS). Mr. Penwell said the problems with the building lay in the millions of dollars worth of deferred maintenance. He underscored that major reinvestment would be required to continue using the building well into the future. He stated that the building was inefficient to operate and maintain and had well-known structural deficiencies that left it vulnerable to earthquakes. He stressed that even a moderate earthquake would flatten the building which had real consequences in terms of emergency response, given that EPD was housed there. Mr. Penwell asserted that the building had outlived its usefulness. He said related issues included that city offices were now spread all over the downtown area. He explained that approximately 100,000 square feet of office area was outside of City Hall in a combination of owned and leased space. He thought better service delivery would result from consolidation. In closing, Mr. Penwell reiterated that the hearing was the first step in a community-based master planning process and would provide an opportunity to listen to what the community had to say about the issue. He said the process of hiring an expert consultant team had been undertaken and three finalists would be interviewed on September 13. He indicated that the consultants would explore and quantify the technical issues such as space needs, operational requirements, remodeling options, compliance with adopted plans, and estimated costs, among others. He added that finalists were also expected to be experts in public participation to help explore the values in the community. Mayor Piercy opened the public hearing. Bob Cassidy, 1401 East 2ih Avenue, invited the City Council to attend the Eugene City Club presentation on the subject of the City Hall building planned for September 16. He recalled that the main thrusts of the arguments for a new building were that the existing building was overcrowded and that it would not survive an earthquake. He was puzzled by the former, given that the Fire Department and a portion of the EPD had moved out. As for the threat of an earthquake, he was not worried. He commented that there were all kinds of emergencies that could come up. He suggested that City Hall could be somewhere other than the center of town where land was most valuable. He thought the Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) building would make a good site for the city hall should EWEB choose to sell it. MINUTES-Eugene City Council Regular Session September 12, 2005 Page 7