Item B: Next Steps on Police Facility/City Hall

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Acquisition of the property plus remodeling and seismic upgrades to meet police requirements is estimated to not exceed $16 million in total costs, and the Facility Reserve is the presumed source of funding for these costs. Based on current costs at City Hall, ongoing annual operations, maintenance, and utility costs for a Police Facility in this larger building would be approximately $876,000 in 2009 dollars, an increase of $368,000 over current police O&M costs at City Hall. However, the remodel of the Country Club Road building is assumed to be to LEED Silver standards—making it much more energy-efficient than the current City Hall building—so utility costs on a per-square-foot basis should be reduced significantly. We are also in the process of evaluating more cost-effective custodial approaches that may reduce the O&M costs even more. Regardless, there will be some increase in the overall O&M costs associated with this building because of the increase in building area as compared to Police’s current space in City Hall. One potential concern that has been raised about the Country Club Road site is that it is on the edge of the 100-year flood plain of the Willamette River. In keeping with past and current code requirements, the building was designed so the first floor level is one foot above the flood plain. The only area that would be affected as a result of a 100 year flood event is parking. As there is typically several days warning before a river reaches flood stage, a contingency plan would be developed to assure the continuation of police services in such an event. Since construction of the building in 1982, the Country Club Road site has never flooded including in 1996 when area rivers experienced some of their worst flooding in decades. Another concern raised relative to the Country Club Road site is that, although the building would be upgraded to withstand a major earthquake, the bridges that span the Willamette River might not survive because none of the vehicular bridges currently spanning the river are built to current seismic code. The first point to make on this issue is that, at any given time, patrol officers are out in various parts of the City and responding from their area of patrol, not from the facility. Secondly, ODOT is in the process of replacing the I-5 bridge across the Willamette with one designed to current seismic code, providing a safe “back door” into Eugene via Glenwood. It should also be noted that all the bike/ pedestrian bridges crossing the river in Eugene are designed to carry emergency vehicles, including the DeFazio Bike Bridge that was designed to current code requirements. If all else fails, the National Guard has a plan to erect a floating bridge to provide an emergency connection across the Willamette within a few days of a major earthquake. One final concern expressed about the Country Club Road site is traffic congestion on and around Country Club Road during certain parts of the day and during U of O football games. Again, it is important to remember that police officers respond to emergencies from their patrol areas and not from the facility. Patrols go out from the building in overlapping shifts seven times a day, and can be planned around the modest “rush hour” we experience here in Eugene. Like- wise, U of O football games are scheduled and can be planned around. Finally, because the site backs up to the on-ramp from Country Club Road to I-105, it may be possible to create an emergency egress onto I-105 in case of an incident that completely blocks Country Club Road. It’s an involved process to obtain ODOT approval for an emergency connection to a limited access highway, but we’ve been told there is precedent elsewhere in the state. 35 Page of