HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes - 04/22/09 Work Session
M I N U T E S
Eugene City Council
Work Session
McNutt Room – City Hall
777 Pearl Street—Eugene, Oregon
April 22, 2009
12:00 p.m.
COUNCILORS PRESENT: Chris Pryor, Mike Clark, George Poling, Betty Taylor, Alan Zelenka,
Jennifer Solomon, George Brown, Andrea Ortiz.
Ms. Piercy called the work session meeting of the Eugene City Council to order at 12:00 p.m.
A. WORK SESSION – Next Steps on Facility Reserve
Mr. Ruiz wished to allay any concerns that the City Council or executives were acting too hastily and noted
that there would be no vote or similar action taken regarding the facility reserve at the current meeting.
Rather, Mr. Ruiz noted that his presentation and comments would aim to provide a clearer context of the
new Eugene Police Department (EPD) facility as it related to the downtown area.
Mr. Ruiz presented information from the previous council work session regarding the facility reserves and
reminded those present that the council had asked staff to provide: 1) a plan estimate to upgrade the
current City Hall facility to meet life safety standards; 2) an analysis of, and a recommendation regarding,
potential police facility sites currently owned by the City of Eugene in and around the downtown area; 3) a
cost estimate for a phased police facility; and 4) the preliminary results of staff’s investigation regarding
the use of EWEB’s administration building as a new city hall facility.
Mr. Ruiz presented aerial photos of the downtown Eugene area to illustrate potential sites for the police
facility and stated that he strongly supported the idea of a police facility in the downtown area.
Alternatively, Mr. Ruiz noted that staff had investigated the former Qwest facility across the Willamette
River on Country Club Road and found that, financially, the use of that building would provide for a new
EPD facility at less than half the cost of what would be involved in the construction of a completely new
building. He further noted that the use of the Country Club Road building would not require the City to
seek additional tax revenues for the new EPD facility and that from an operational perspective the building
was ideally located to provide police services for the city. Mr. Ruiz also noted that, if the City were to use
the Country Club Road location as the new EPD facility, the EPD’s downtown presence would not be
adversely affected and that a police patrol substation might be placed downtown.
Mr. Ruiz noted that while the purchase price of the Country Club Road facility would not call for the use
of the entire $16 million in facility reserves, it was expected that any remainder of those funds from the
purchase price would be needed for operational upgrades and moving expenses.
Mr. Ruiz, noting the conditions of the current City Hall facility, commented that it was expected to cost
approximately $6 million to bring the building up to life safety standards, and that such standards only
MINUTES—Eugene City Council April 22, 2009 Page 1
Work Session
addressed the seismic viability of the building itself.
Mr. Ruiz maintained that spending $6 million to bring the current City Hall facility up to life safety
standards without further improvements would not measurably increase the value of the building as an
asset of the City.
Mr. Ruiz stated that should the EPD eventually be moved into its own dedicated facility, other City offices
such as the Municipal Court, the Human Resources office, the Mayor’s office and the City Manager’s
office might be moved into the Beam Development building on Broadway Avenue as part of the City’s
agreement with Beam to lease approximately 50,000 square feet of office space at that location.
Mr. Ruiz noted that recent property acquisitions/renovations by the Lord Leebrick Theatre Company and
Lane Community College, in conjunction with improved city hall facilities, might serve as focal elements of
a new downtown civic center area.
Mr. Ruiz commented that staff expected the downtown urban renewal district to reach full capacity
sometime in the summer of 2009 and that subsequently the council and staff would need to hold discussions
regarding whether to expand the capacity of the urban renewal district or to dismantle the district itself.
Mr. Ruiz briefly discussed the manner in which the City might support the arts and cultural footprint of the
downtown area and maintained that with the development of recent sites by Wally Graff and the Beam
Corporation, and the expansions of the aforementioned Lord Leebrick and LCC facilities, the City should
focus its efforts and discussions on supporting the existing momentum of such development initiatives
rather than attempting to initiate completely new cultural initiatives.
Mr. Ruiz noted that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) was currently investigating the
possibility of opening a clinic near 13th Avenue and Willamette Street and asked how the City might
provide assistance and support for such a project.
Mr. Ruiz supported the notion that staff’s investigation into the use of the current EWEB facility as a new
city hall should continue, particularly in light of the fact that using the building would allow the building to
control development of the 20-30 acres of the riverfront property on which the facility stood.
Mr. Ruiz noted that while it might be feasible to use the current EWEB facility as a new city hall, staff
investigations had revealed that it would be at least 5-7 years before the building would become available
and that the cost of purchasing and renovating the building to the City’s specifications might be as much as
$50 million.
Mr. Ruiz noted that staff would need direction from the council on whether or not to continue its
investigations into the financial and logistical feasibility of the EWEB facility.
Mr. Ruiz expressed that he would eventually like to see some sort of streetcar public transportation element
in the downtown area similar to such systems in the downtown Portland area.
Ms. Piercy observed that the staff recommendations regarding the city hall and EPD facilities were a
change from the previous “great streets” concept of having the City’s government buildings located
primarily along 8th Avenue, but felt that those recommendations might serve as a better direction for the
MINUTES—Eugene City Council April 22, 2009 Page 2
Work Session
City.
Ms. Piercy recognized the importance of having the EPD and other public safety “first responders”
centrally located in order to efficiently respond to public safety concerns.
Ms. Piercy noted recent scientific findings had revealed that the City of Eugene was likely to experience a
serious seismic event sometime within the next 30 years rather than the next 100 years as had been
previously determined.
Ms. Piercy noted that while she had not come to a final decision on her position regarding the best use of
the facility reserves, it made sense to recycle an appropriate building for City use rather than to build a
completely new facility and that it was also important for the City’s major government and public safety
entities to be located on the south side of the Willamette River.
Ms. Piercy recognized the need for a new city hall facility but also recognized that to go as much as seven
years without an established city hall might be troublesome.
Mr. Clark reiterated his belief that the current EWEB building should be re-purposed for the City’s use as
a new city hall and wanted to see staff’s investigation into such a plan continue.
Mr. Clark had recently learned that there were plans to potentially demolish the old federal courthouse
th
building at 211 East 7 Avenue and asked staff to investigate potential City uses for that building.
Mr. Clark maintained that the City had not wisely managed its real estate transactions in recent years and
noted that if there was not a strong enough consensus among the City leadership to purchase the Country
Club Road building outright, the City should attempt to purchase an option on the property so that the
building might be secured for the City at a favorable price.
Ms. Taylor appreciated that Mr. Ruiz had postponed the action regarding the facility reserves and felt the
agenda and the suggested motions presented therein had come out of nowhere.
Ms. Taylor expressed that a retrofit of the existing City Hall to life safety standards should be the primary
concern for the City and that the concerns of the community should be considered at a level that was at
least commensurate with the input provided by City staff.
Ms. Taylor did not like that the other City divisions apart from the EPD had been referred to as “remaining
elements” during the meeting.
Ms. Ortiz appreciated that Mr. Ruiz had postponed the action regarding the facility reserves and asked
what, as a part of the plan to potentially utilize the Country Club Road building, the City’s plans for a
downtown police substation would entail. Mr. Ruiz replied that an EPD police substation might be built
into or near the Beam Development site in order to maintain an appropriate EPD downtown presence.
Facility Division Manager Mike Penwell, responding to a question from Ms. Ortiz, commented that there
were no currently available downtown buildings that met the criteria for a new police facility at the level of
the Country Club Road building.
MINUTES—Eugene City Council April 22, 2009 Page 3
Work Session
Ms. Ortiz averred that the current City Hall building was not a welcoming structure and wanted to see
plans and discussions towards moving into a new space continue. She further noted that she would support
Mr. Ruiz’s efforts to initiate a downtown streetcar project as long as the Bethel and Trainsong
neighborhoods were included in such a project.
Mr. Brown appreciated that Mr. Ruiz had postponed the action regarding the facility reserves and noted
that further council work sessions might be necessary to reach a consensus on the matter.
Jennifer Solomon joined the meeting at 12:37 p.m.
Mr. Brown could not offer strong support for any of the options presented by Mr. Ruiz and noted that
retrofitting the current City Hall facility to meet seismic life safety standards was the only strategy he could
support. He suggested that staff compile a comprehensive engineering report on all City-owned sites so
that the safety standards and potential future uses of those sites might be adequately considered.
Mr. Poling maintained that there were no available facilities in the downtown area that would be as cost-
effective for a new EPD facility as the Country Club Road building. He shared Ms. Piercy’s concerns
regarding not having a dedicated city hall facility for an extended period of time and expressed that he was
very glad that Mr. Ruiz’s presentation had addressed various business and cultural concerns in the
downtown area. He noted that any retrofitting of the current city hall facility to life safety standards might
not be wise as facilities for divisions such as the EPD would need to be placed in facilities that were up to
essential service standards.
Mr. Pryor appreciated the wide variety of options presented by Mr. Ruiz and noted that some combination
of those options might be the most efficient and cost-effective manner in which to proceed. He agreed with
Mr. Poling’s previous statement that the EPD would need to be based in a facility that was up to essential
service standards and not just life safety standards.
Mr. Zelenka noted that he did not support the utilization of a dedicated EPD facility without there also
being some provision made for a new or improved city hall facility. He further noted that, alternative to
using the facility reserves to fund a new EPD facility, he had suggested that the reserves instead be used to
hire more EPD officers. He averred that staff should continue its investigation into cost-effective ways to
make the current City Hall facility safer and also into the potential use of the federal building at 211 East
th
7 Avenue.
Ms. Piercy appreciated the variety of options that had been presented by staff and hoped that whatever
strategy was adopted would help enhance the arts and cultural footprint of the community. She stated that
she continued to have the highest level of concern for the safety and welfare of all City employees and that
she was not averse to the idea of having a downtown police substation. She hoped that there might also be
further opportunities for the public to weigh in on the various options being considered by staff.
Mr. Clark noted that the current City Hall facility, beyond the previous determinations that the building
was seismically unsound, was also very inefficient with respect to its power and utility needs. He further
noted that to improve the efficiencies of the building and make it more environmentally sustainable would
be highly expensive and that the costs associated with such improvements would only continue to rise.
Mr. Penwell, responding to a question from Mr. Clark, commented that it was currently unknown what it
MINUTES—Eugene City Council April 22, 2009 Page 4
Work Session
would take to purchase an option on the Country Club Road building or what strategies might be involved
in that regard. Mr. Ruiz noted that staff would be willing to investigate the purchase of such an option if
that was the general direction from the council.
Ms. Taylor agreed with Mr. Ruiz’s suggestion for a downtown streetcar system and agreed with his
comments in support of arts and cultural initiatives in the downtown area.
Mr. Ruiz, responding to a question from Ms. Taylor, noted that the City of Eugene currently rented
approximately 50,000 square feet of office space, in a variety of locations.
Ms. Taylor expressed that she was in favor of moving City offices into the Beam Development site once it
was completed, that the City should continue its investigation of the use of the federal building at 211 East
th
7 Avenue and that the City should also utilize the space previously occupied by the Eugene Fire/EMS
department.
Ms. Taylor noted that in addition to her previous comments, the current City Hall facility should be
retrofitted to life safety standards as soon as possible.
Ms. Taylor reminded the council that the public had voted against expansions of the City’s urban renewal
district boundaries and warned against any further discussions in that regard.
Ms. Taylor felt that the work performed by staff regarding the use of the facility reserves had not followed
the council’s direction.
Ms. Taylor opposed any efforts to purchase an option on the Country Club Road building and felt that the
City had wasted a lot of money in previous years on similar strategies in the downtown area.
Mr. Ruiz noted that staff would continue its negotiations with the Beam Development Corporation
regarding the City’s use of their development project.
Mr. Brown appreciated the reasons given in support of the use of the Country Club Road building but felt
that in doing so the City would exhaust the entirety of the facility reserves. He believed that the EPD
should continue to be based within the Eugene City Hall and that it was important to maintain a close
symbolic association between City Hall and the EPD.
Mr. Poling stated that he would approve of expanding the urban renewal district boundaries for the
purposes of including the VA clinic previously mentioned by Mr. Ruiz and felt that the public at-large
might do so as well.
Mr. Poling agreed with Ms. Taylor’s estimation that the City did not have a good history of purchasing
options on available properties and was wary of any such strategies that might be applied to the Country
Club Road building.
Mr. Penwell, responding to a question from Mr. Zelenka, noted that to retrofit the current City Hall facility
beyond life safety standards to essential services standards would cost at least 20% more. Mr. Penwell
further noted that the added costs to improve the facility to essential services standards also did not take
into account costs for the utility connections that would be required with such an upgrade.
MINUTES—Eugene City Council April 22, 2009 Page 5
Work Session
Mr. Zelenka maintained that, in the absence of any plans to demolish the building, the current City Hall
facility should be retrofitted to life safety standards regardless of the City’s future plans for the building.
Mr. Zelenka felt that a downtown police patrol substation facility would essentially be an empty police
garage and did not support such a strategy.
Mr. Zelenka commented that re-using an existing building such as the Country Club Road building was a
good course of action.
Mr. Zelenka agreed that a VA clinic located downtown might warrant the expansion of the urban renewal
district boundaries.
Mr. Pryor felt that the current City Hall facility was antiquated, unattractive and inefficient, and did not
believe that it would be advisable to devote any significant amount of money toward its continued use
although he agreed that it would be worthwhile to spend the money necessary to bring the building up to
life safety standards for the safety of City employees working in it.
Mr. Pryor felt that moving the City Hall offices into the civic center might only serve as a temporary
solution.
Ms. Ortiz believed that the EPD needed to be housed in a separate facility from City Hall and agreed that it
might be worthwhile to expand the urban renewal district boundaries if a VA clinic was indeed being
considered near the downtown area.
Ms. Piercy believed that the current City Hall facility was an “energy sieve” and that the continued use of
the building ran counter to the sustainability and environmental directions of the City.
Mr. Clark noted that he was not a fan of urban renewal but that the City should support efforts to have a
VA clinic in the downtown area.
Mr. Clark expressed that he did not want the City to lose out on an opportunity to obtain a usable building
at a reasonable price.
Mr. Clark, seconded by Ms. Solomon, moved to direct the City Manager to bring back to the City
Council by May 11, 2009, information regarding what would be required to secure an option on
the County Club Road building concurrent to ongoing council discussions regarding the
building’s use as a potential EPD facility.
Mr. Brown felt that the issue of exploring the purchase of an option on the Country Club Road building
was not a time-sensitive issue. Mr. Clark responded that there had been incidents in the past where the City
might have obtained properties at a more favorable price if it had not hesitated and that his motion was
intended only to provide information regarding what would be required to purchase the option.
Mr. Ruiz noted that staff could probably collect the information regarding an option to purchase the
Country Club Road building by the date specified in Mr. Clark’s motion and further noted that staff would
let the council know if it appeared that it would not be possible to collect and review the information within
the time specified.
MINUTES—Eugene City Council April 22, 2009 Page 6
Work Session
Ms. Taylor felt that to collect the information as described in Mr. Clark’s motion would take an
unreasonable amount of staff time and resources and further felt that it was unreasonable to assume that
some other party would attempt to purchase the Country Club Road building in the near future.
Mr. Zelenka noted that he wanted to see more information regarding the Country Club Road building.
Ms. Piercy called for a vote on Mr. Clark’s previously stated motion. The motion passed, 6:2
(Mr. Brown and Ms. Taylor voting in opposition).
Mr. Brown suggested there were a variety of other ways in which facility reserves might be spent to better
serve the public.
Mr. Zelenka commented that one of the most appealing aspects of the Country Club Road building was
that as a former Qwest call center facility it had been built to much higher seismic and structural standards
than other potential sites and that the use of such a building might allow the City to envision a number of
interesting options as to what might replace the City Hall building at its current location.
Mr. Ruiz requested specific direction from the council regarding the next steps they wanted staff to take
regarding the facility reserves and further noted that discussion meetings regarding the urban renewal
district would be taking place in the spring.
Ms. Piercy felt that the options presented by staff had not been narrowed down enough by the council and
more information and discussion regarding the options would be needed. She suggested that further input
from members of the public would also be needed.
Ms. Taylor commented it was her understanding that the City’s budget committee had decided last year
that the Eugene City Hall was to be refurbished and asked Mr. Ruiz to return with more information in that
regard. She maintained that the condition of the current City Hall facility was disgraceful.
Mr. Brown said it would be useful to know the status of any ongoing discussions regarding plans for a VA
clinic in the downtown area.
Mr. Brown restated his request to have a comprehensive engineering report on all buildings currently
owned by the City. Mr. Ruiz replied that while it might be possible to have some sort of engineering report
prepared within the next 60 to 90 days, the information provided therein would only be a rough estimate
and that a detailed engineering report would take much more time to conduct.
Ms. Piercy noted that there did not appear to be strong support from the council regarding Mr. Brown’s
request for a comprehensive engineering report of all City-owned facilities and expressed that a motion
would need to be made in order to give staff specific instructions in that regard.
Mr. Brown, seconded by Mr. Zelenka, moved to direct the City Manager to obtain a rough cost
estimate for a complete engineer’s report on all City-owned property which would focus and
provide information on the steps necessary to bring all City-owned properties up to life safety
and/or essential services standards.
MINUTES—Eugene City Council April 22, 2009 Page 7
Work Session
Mr. Zelenka, seconded by Mr. Poling, moved to extend the City Council work session meeting
by an additional seven minutes. The motion passed unanimously, 8:0.
Mr. Clark asked Mr. Brown if he would accept a friendly amendment to his motion whereby it was
specified that what was being requested was an estimation of the amount of resources involved in compiling
a complete engineer’s report of all City-owned property. Mr. Brown refused.
Mr. Clark noted that it might be prohibitively difficult to determine the scope of precisely what City
properties would need to be addressed in any potential structural engineering study and noted that without
more detailed information regarding the scope of which City facilities might be evaluated he could not
support the motion.
Mr. Ruiz was concerned that the motion under discussion did not specifically relate to the use of the facility
reserves or any of the EPD/City Hall facility options that had been presented.
Ms. Piercy called for a vote on Mr. Brown’s previously stated motion. The motion failed, 3:5
(Mr. Clark, Mr. Pryor, Ms. Ortiz, Ms. Solomon and Mr. Poling voting in opposition).
Mr. Zelenka asked for an additional council work session meeting regarding the use of the facility reserves
and asked staff to carefully review the webcast of the meeting to make sure that all questions raised during
the meeting were properly addressed in any continuing discussions.
Mr. Ruiz asked that the council members send him any questions regarding the facility reserves that they
would like specifically answered in the next work session meeting regarding the matter.
Ms. Piercy recognized a general agreement from the council that the current City Hall facility was unsafe
and that it might not be worth the time and resources necessary to “fix this place up.”
Ms. Piercy adjourned the meeting at 1:38 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jon Ruiz
City Manager
(Recorded by Wade Hicks)
MINUTES—Eugene City Council April 22, 2009 Page 8
Work Session