Item B: Next Steps on Facility Reserve

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ECC UGENE ITY OUNCIL AIS GENDA TEM UMMARY Work Session: Next Steps on Facility Reserve Meeting Date: May 11, 2009 Agenda Item Number: B Department: Central Services Staff Contact: Mike Penwell www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 682-5547 ISSUE STATEMENT The purpose of this work session is to establish direction for using a portion of the Facility Reserve for acquisition of a Police Facility, and to establish policy direction for next steps in addressing the deficiencies of the existing Eugene City Hall. BACKGROUND At the April 22, 2009, work session regarding the use of facility reserve funds, council was presented with information about an available property at 300 Country Club Road with potential suitability as a consolidated Police Facility, and a concept for creating a civic center by moving all other City Hall functions to development projects near the Atrium and Library. For the past 10 years, the council has grappled with the issue of how best to resolve the life safety, space, functional, and condition deficiencies of City Hall. One of the primary factors in this ongoing discussion is that the existing building—even if all the structural deficiencies and deferred maintenance were corrected—is much too small to consolidate all downtown City services. Currently, the City occupies 10 different locations downtown and space for the two biggest functions in City Hall—Police and Municipal Court—is significantly undersized. Another significant factor is the higher seismic standards required for police facilities by today’s code standards coupled with the fact that City Hall is vulnerable to extensive damage in even a moderate earthquake. As long as Police remains in City Hall the building does not have to be upgraded to meet current seismic requirements because it met codes in place at the time it was built and is “grandfathered” in. However, any building built or purchased to house police functions must meet current “essential facility” seismic requirements intended to ensure operation of the building after an earthquake when first responders are most needed. As a result, other functions have been moved out of City Hall over the years—including other essential services such as the 911 call center and the fire station—while Police has remained in one of the most seismically vulnerable buildings in all of Lane County. The seismic condition of City Hall together with the worsening space crunch Police has experienced over the past decade makes solving the Police piece of the City Hall puzzle a high priority and the first step in solving the downtown City space issue as a whole. Currently, the Police Department occupies about half the space needed for current staffing and service levels according to several independent analyses. The lack of available funding for building new space for Police has been an obstacle to progress even as the council has responsibly set aside funds in the Facility Reserve for the purpose of addressing City building needs. The lack of available buildings that meet Police’s unique structural, space, and security needs has also been a barrier to finding affordable solutions to Police’s facility needs. Consolidated Police Facility The facility located at 300 Country Club Road is the first viable option for an existing property meeting Police’s requirements that has come along in 10 years. The property consists of a 66,000 square foot two-