CC Minutes - 03/16/11 Work Session

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MINUTES Eugene City Council McNutt Room —City Hall 777 Pearl Street— Eugene, Oregon March 16, 2011 Noon COUNCILORS PRESENT: George Brown, Andrea Ortiz, George Poling, Mike Clark, Chris Pryor, Alan Zelenka, Pat Farr. COUNCILORS ABSENT: Betty Taylor. Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the March 16, 2011, work session of the Eugene City Council to order. A. WORK SESSION: City Hall City Manager Jon Ruiz introduced the item. He reminded the council of past discussions of a new city hall and said staff had prepared a fiscally responsible way to move forward on the project. Motions reflecting the staff recommendations related to the item were included in the council Agenda Item Summary (AIS). Central Services Department Director Kristi Hammitt thanked Mr. Otto Poticha and the students of the 2010 University of Oregon Department of Architecture 2010 Fall Design Studio, who had shared their work about city hall with the council prior to the work session. Ms. Hammitt said past discussions about a new city hall had resulted in proposals for projects that were too large in scope and too costly to afford. She proposed that the City pursue what she termed a "small series of solutions" toward achieving its objective. The approach would allow the City to move forward with a phased project funded by money already set aside to address deficiencies in the existing City Hall. Facilities Design & Construction Manager Mike Penwell noted the relocation of public safety functions from City Hall to seismically safer facilities, which made planning for the relocation of other employees working in City Hall more feasible. In addition, the Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) planned to discontinue the provision of steam heat to the facility, spurring the need for action. Speaking to suggestions that the current EWEB administrative facility could serve as a new city hall, Mr. Penwell said the purchase, while less expensive than constructing a new city hall, was still too expensive and staff believed the current location of City Hall was more appropriate. The City already owned the site and a full -block site could be redeveloped incrementally. He requested council direction. Mayor Piercy expressed appreciation for the proposed approach. She believed it was doable. She felt a responsibility toward the City employees who work in City Hall and to visitors to the facility because of the area's susceptibility to seismic events. The cessation of steam power was another incentive. She solicited councilors' questions and comments. MINUTES— Eugene City Council March 16, 2011 Page 1 Work Session