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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem B: Next Steps on Police Facility/City Hall ECC UGENE ITY OUNCIL AIS GENDA TEM UMMARY Work Session: Next Steps on Police Facility/City Hall Meeting Date: July 29, 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 request council direction for using a portion of the Facility Reserve to implement a proposed plan for City Hall including acquiring the property at 300 Country Club Road for use as a Police Facility and addressing the deficiencies of the City Hall building. BACKGROUND At work sessions on April 22 and May 11, 2009, the council was presented with information regarding the Country Club Road property, and the life safety, space, functional, and condition deficiencies of City Hall. In addition, elements of the City Manager’s recommendation for resolving these issues was presented and discussed. A complete summary of this background information is contained in a council memo dated July 20, 2009, and included with this AIS as an attachment. In short, the recommended plan consists of a series of separate but related actions to support specific outcomes. The first step is to move all police functions currently located in City Hall to the 300 Country Club Road site in order to house the Police Department in a safe, adequate, and cost-effective facility from which it can better serve the community. Coupled with this step would be the establishment of a Downtown Public Safety Station to maintain a strong and visible police presence downtown including front counter services. The next step is to move the remaining City functions out of City Hall and into leased space in the Beam and/or WG development projects in order to create a civic campus for City services downtown. This allows the City to avoid the significant capital costs that would otherwise be required to stay in City Hall, helps assure the viability of one or both development projects in which the City is already invested both economically and politically, and accomplishes greater consolidation of City services for improved efficiency and customer service. Specific details of this plan, including the financing plan, would be developed and brought back to the council for further action as discussions with project partners progress. The final step is to develop a plan for the appropriate use of the existing City Hall site after City functions have moved out. This will require additional community conversations to take place together with policy and financial analysis of options in order to produce the best solution for the community and the City organization. Additional information would be brought back to the council for further action as this planning process unfolds. Z:\CMO\2009 Council Agendas\M090729\S090729B.doc As directed by the council at the May 11 work session, a limited public involvement process was conducted to seek community input on the options for City Hall and police facilities. This included a presentation to a combined meeting of the Government Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Eugene, Inc. (DEI) board on June 19, discussions and Q&A at the Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA) meetings in May and July, and two public forums held on June 23 and 25. The Chamber of Commerce subsequently issued a “statement of support” for moving Police to Country Club Road provided the City “makes a long-term commitment to maintain a visible, accessible police sub-station in Eugene’s downtown core.” A show of hands at the July 16 DNA meeting resulted in near unanimous support for the same. About 40-45 people attended each of the two public forums, both of which produced good, spirited discussions about the issues with most of the comments focused on the potential Police move to Country Club Road. The June 23 forum at the Atrium Building ended with an estimated 60 percent of participants generally opposed to the idea and approximately 40 percent in favor. The June 25 forum at Sheldon Community Center produced a strong majority in favor of the move. A summary of the public forums is included as Attachment C. Also, the citizen members of the Budget Committee will meet on July 27 to hear information about, and discuss the proposed use of, Facility Reserve funds to move Police to Country Club Road and implement the Civic Campus concept to address the remaining functions in City Hall. The Mayor and council are invited to attend and themes that emerge from the meeting will be summarized for the July 29 work session. RELATED CITY POLICIES Addressing the deficiencies of the existing City Hall and providing safe, adequate space for the Police Department relates to the council values of effective, accountable municipal government, a safe community, and sustainable development. The council has maintained a continuing goal to adopt an implementation plan for resolving the issues related to City Hall and a police facility. The City Hall Complex Action Plan identified key issues that must be addressed as work toward the goal progresses. COUNCIL OPTIONS 1.The council can choose to move forward with all three elements of the City Manager’s recommended plan. 2.The council can choose to move forward with any single element of the plan and request additional information on the other plan elements before deciding whether to move forward with those elements. 3.The council can choose to request additional information on the entire plan before moving forward with any elements. Z:\CMO\2009 Council Agendas\M090729\S090729B.doc CITY MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION The City Manager recommends option 1. SUGGESTED MOTIONS 1.Move to authorize the City Manager to negotiate and sign a purchase and sale agreement for the acquisition of the property at 300 Country Club Road for use as a Police Facility and r equest on a Supplemental Budget an appropriation of up to $16,000,000 from the Facility Reserve for costs related to acquisition, design, construction, furnishing, and move-in. 2.Move to direct the City Manager to return to the council at a future work session with an implementation plan—including a detailed financing plan—for moving the remaining non- police services out of City Hall. 3.Move to direct the City Manager to return to the council at a future work session with options and recommendations for the future use of the existing City Hall site. ATTACHMENTS A.Council Memo Dated July 20, 2009 B.Facility Reserve History C.Public Forum Summaries FOR MORE INFORMATION Staff Contact: Mike Penwell, Facility Management Division Manager (AIC) Telephone: 682-5547 Staff E-Mail: michael.j.penwell@ci.eugene.or.us Z:\CMO\2009 Council Agendas\M090729\S090729B.doc ATTACHMENT A Central Services Facility Management City of Eugene 210 Cheshire M Eugene, Oregon 97401 EMORANDUM (541) 682-2690 (541) 682-6222 FAX www.eugene-or.gov Date: July 20, 2009 To: Mayor Piercy and City Council From: Mike Penwell, 682-5547 Facility Management Division Manager (AIC) Cc: Eugene Budget Committee Citizen Members Subject: Next Steps on Police Building and City Hall Planning Over the past weeks and months, there has been a lot of information circulated and discussions conducted about how to proceed with decisions on a proposed Police Facility and what to do with City Hall. The purpose of this memo is to summarize relevant information pertaining to this subject and outline the City Manager’s recommendation well ahead of the July 29 council work session. This memo will also serve as background information for the Budget Committee’s discussion of these issues relative to the use of the Facility Reserve on July 27. Facility Reserve/Project Funding As the Facility Reserve is the primary funding source for most of the initial costs related to the proposed space moves, a brief history of the reserve fund is included as Attachment [B]. As noted in the attachment, the Facility Reserve was initially created in 2001 as a way for the organization to save for the repair or replacement of City Hall and a new Police Facility. The intention was that the organization could reduce the amount asked from voters to pay for City Hall and Police Facility projects by saving money in the Facility Reserve. Over the past year or two, changing priorities and a worsening economy have eliminated consid- eration of a bond measure as a realistic funding source for the foreseeable future. As a result, any solutions to the City Hall/Police Facility problem must be funded with existing internal resources supplemented by any grants or stimulus funds that may become available as projects are implemented. Existing City Hall The space and condition issues related to City Hall have been well documented over the years. There have been at least five different seismic studies/reports dating back to 1995 that have included some level of assessment of the city hall building’s ability to withstand the lateral forces associated with earthquakes. All reports have consistently concluded that City Hall would likely suffer major structural damage and possible collapse in the types of earthquakes associated 15 Page of with western Oregon. In March of this year, a cost estimate was developed by kpff Consulting Engineers under the direction of Berry Architects for a life-safety level seismic upgrade to City Hall. The total project cost for the most appropriate seismic upgrade scheme was estimated to be approximately $6 million. An “essential facility” seismic upgrade (the current code standard for police and fire stations) that would allow Police to safely remain in the building would cost at least 25% more, if it is even technically achievable. There are numerous other condition deficiencies at City Hall including mechanical and electrical systems that have outlived their useful life-span and the rotting wood “fins” on the exterior of the building. Because of its age, the heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system is very inefficient by today’s standards, a situation that is exacerbated by the lack of insulation at the walls, roofs, and floors of the building and the presence of single-glazed windows. In addition, the building’s primary source of heat—steam from the EWEB steam system—is slated to be shut off within 3-5 years. A complete replacement of the HVAC system and a complete upgrade of the exterior envelope would need to be accomplished in the next several years in order to continue use of the building. Even if all the condition deficiencies in the building were addressed, City Hall is much too small to accommodate even the existing functions within the building, to say nothing of consolidating additional general office functions located in multiple other locations downtown. Police have been more and more squeezed over the years as they have anticipated moving all or part of their functions to safer, more appropriate space elsewhere. Municipal Court has long needed a larger, dedicated third courtroom along with jury orientation space and meeting space for attorneys and their clients. The City Manager’s Office has been split among multiple locations for several years and both City staff and community members would benefit from consolidation of CMO functions. During the City Hall Complex Master Plan process, the consultant team estimated that a retrofit of City Hall to LEED Silver standards, a life-safety level seismic upgrade, and a moderate amount of internal remodeling for better functional use of the spaces after Police moves out, would have a total project cost of $40-50 million without any increase in building area. Police Facility on Country Club Road The City Manager’s recommendation for addressing the life safety, space, functional, and condition deficiencies of City Hall starts with acquiring the 300 Country Club Road facility as the new home for all Police functions currently located in City Hall. The property consists of a 66,000 square foot two-story building with 70-75 secure covered parking spaces below and more than 250 on-grade parking spaces, situated on a four-acre site. The property meets current space and parking requirements for all Police functions presently housed at City Hall and has ample future expansion capabilities if needed. The building was constructed in 1982 to house Pacific Northwest Bell, the precursor to what is now Qwest. Because the building was designed to accommodate an emergency call center, it was built to a higher seismic standard than was required by code at the time. A recent seismic analysis performed by a licensed structural engineer determined that the building can be upgraded to meet essential facility . In addition, the building has a seismic requirements for approximately $500,000 in total project costs largely open floor plan making it relatively easy to remodel for use as a police facility. 25 Page of 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 Police Presence Downtown If the police headquarters moves to Country Club Road, it will be important to maintain a strong and visible police presence downtown. Regular vehicle and bike patrols would continue to be the primary response presence downtown as they are now. In addition, a Downtown Public Safety Station would be added in a prominent and visible storefront location providing front counter services and some mix of uniformed patrol officers and Community Service Officers. This would also be the likely base for downtown bike patrols and possibly the Downtown Guides as well. Ideally, the Downtown Public Safety Station would be collocated with other City functions in the Beam and/or WG Developments to reinforce the “Civic Campus” concept for downtown City offices. Downtown “Civic Campus” If all police functions currently in City Hall were to move to a consolidated Police Facility, relocating the remaining City Hall functions and planning for the future use of the City Hall site becomes a viable option. The recommended option for accomplishing this is for the City to leverage its interests in the Beam and/or WG Developments to move the remaining functions in City Hall—as well as selected functions currently in leased space elsewhere—to leased space in one or both of these development projects. In the Purchase and Sale Agreement between Beam Development and the Urban Renewal Agency, the City committed to lease up to 50,000 square feet in the building to be constructed on the vacant parcel adjacent to the Centre Court building. With Lane Community College entering the picture and both developers talking to other prospective tenants, the City could choose to transfer a portion of this commitment to the WG Development. The remaining $6 million in the Facility Reserve could be used to “buy down” the City’s cost of occupancy. This could allow the City to control the ongoing costs of occupancy while avoiding the tens of millions of dollars in capital costs that would be needed over the next 5-10 years to refurbish and update City Hall for continued use. The addition of these funds for capital costs on the front end might also help one or both projects to secure additional capital in the tight credit market that currently exists for these types of projects. In this option, we would want to assure that any buildings occupied by City functions have a civic presence appropriate to municipal government buildings. As noted above, the Downtown Public Safety Station could also be included in order to maintain a police presence in close proximity to other City offices. Relocating City Hall functions to these developments would help create a municipal government district focused between the Beam Development at Broad- th way and Willamette and the Library at 10 and Charnelton. This would be an improvement over the current dispersion of City offices that stretches from the Library to City Hall. At the same time, ground floor uses in these development projects could be largely dedicated to retail uses creating a livelier streetscape and a more engaging pedestrian experience. Future Options for a Consolidated City Hall The Civic Campus concept may be an interim solution, and it allows the City to avoid large capital expenditures in the existing city hall building and jump-start one or both important development projects currently being considered on neglected sites downtown. But “interim” in this case may be as long as 10-15 years. Eventually, the City will want to look again toward a consolidated City Hall. The Civic Campus concept buys us time while we explore future options 45 Page of for a consolidated City Hall including building on the existing City Hall site, acquiring the EWEB Administration Building, acquiring the Federal Building if the GSA decides to surplus it at some future date, or moving forward with an option that hasn’t yet been conceived. During this interim period, the Facility Reserve will need to be replenished in order to help fund future City Hall projects. Summary of Potential Moves and Use of Facility Reserve The following table lists functions currently located in City Hall with the approximate building area needed, where they would be relocated and how the Facility Reserve would be utilized to pay for or assist with up-front capital costs. Service Area Square Footage Project Cost Recommended Location Police Headquarters 66,000 s.f. $16 million 300 Country Club Road Downtown Public Safety Station 3,000 s.f. Mayor, City Council & Civic Campus Area including Council Chamber 5,000 s.f. $6 million Beam and/or WG Development CMO/Human Resources 12,000 s.f. Municipal Court 15,000 s.f. Other potential functions that may be considered for inclusion in the Beam/WG developments are Risk Services (3,300 s.f.), the City Prosecutor (1,700 s.f.), a combined training/conference room (1,500 s.f.), Police Auditor (1,400 s.f.), and City Recorder Archives (4,000 s.f.). More detailed information on the preferred location of specific functions, relationships to other public and private functions, and the financing plan will be developed and brought back to council as discussions with potential project partners progress. Options for Existing City Hall Site The last piece of the puzzle that needs to come together in order to complete the plan is deciding what to do with the existing City Hall site. Ideas for reuse have included letting the building live on as an arts center or home for non-profits. Others have suggested it be sold for market value with the proceeds used to begin replenishing the Facility Reserve. Still others have suggested the site be retained by the City as the future home for City Hall, but the building be demolished and replaced in the interim by a park, a parking lot (to generate revenue), or a combination of the two. Clearly additional conversations with the community need to take place and criteria developed in order to achieve a successful future use of the site. We propose additional public input opportunities on this topic be scheduled for late summer and early fall, if the council chooses to move forward with the option of vacating City Hall, with results and a recommenda- tion brought back to council in the fall. Please contact me at 682-5547 or by email at michael.j.penwell@ci.eugene.or.us if you have questions or need additional information. 55 Page of ATTACHMENT B FACILITY RESERVE HISTORY The Facility Reserve was created in FY01 as a way for the organization to save for the repair or replacement of City Hall and a new Police Facility. The intention was that the organization could reduce the amount asked from voters to pay for the City Hall projects by saving money in the Facility Reserve. Overall, the amount in the Facility Reserve in FY10 is estimated to be $23 million, with $1 million of that total dedicated towards the second year of pothole patching. Below are brief descriptions of some of the major revenues and expenditures transactions that have occurred in the Facility Reserve since its creation in FY01. Major Deposits into the Facility Reserve Excess EWEB Wholesale CILT: During FY01, $7.3 million was earned from one-time CILT payments on wholesale electric sales to California. These funds were deposited into the Facility Reserve during FY01and FY02. Settlement of Telecommunications Lawsuits: In FY05, the City deposited $15.4 million into the Facility Reserve from the General Fund and the Telecommunications Fund. The revenues were a result of additional licenses and permits from Qwest and other telecom providers. Assessment Bond Fund Residual Assets: In FY03, council reviewed the residual assets contained in the assessment bond fund reserves and determined how to use the excess funds. At that time, $2.3 million of the residual assets were deposited into the Facility Reserve to be used for City Hall complex master plan projects. Capitalization Component of Facilities Charge: During FY02, a new component was added to the Facilities Charge for certain downtown facilities. This charge was developed as a way to systematically set aside funds for a new City Hall. Both General Fund and Non-General Fund services have contributed to the Facility Reserve through Facility Capitalization Charges. In FY09, the charge for all funds is about $900,000. Other Miscellaneous Revenues: The City deposited other one-time funds into the Facility Reserve from time to time. Examples are proceeds from sale of the Olive Street parking lot ($350,000), the library asbestos settlement ($227,000), and return of excess budget for Library construction project ($100,000). Major Expenditures from the Facility Reserve Roosevelt Police Building: In FY02 and FY03, $3.9 million was transferred from the Facility Reserve to pay for construction of the Forensic Evidence Unit/Property Control Unit facility at Roosevelt, which allowed police to discontinue using the basement space at City Hall as regular working areas. City Hall Master Plan: Council dedicated approximately $3 million to the City Hall Master Plan from the Facility Reserve in fiscal years 2006 through 2009. Lane County Revenue Swap: In FY09, $4.5 million was transferred to Lane County, so that the funds could be used to pay for jail beds, prosecution services and other high-priority services. In return, the County sent $4.5 million from their Road Fund to the City to pay for road maintenance, repair and construction. Transportation Utility Fund Transfer: In FY09, the City transferred $1 million from the Facility Reserve to the Transportation Utility Fund to pay for street maintenance, including pothole patching. The City also expects to make a similar transfer in the FY10 budget. Fire Station #1 Costs: As part of the financing plan for construction of a new Fire Station #1, $270,000 was transferred out of the Facility Reserve in FY03 to pay for furnishings, fixtures and equipment (FF&E). The bulk of the fire station was built with General Obligation bond funds approved by voters, but the FF&E costs are not eligible for General Obligation Bond funding. General Fund Budget Gap: In FY04, $900,000 was transferred from the Facility Reserve to fill a budget gap in the General Fund. Other Miscellaneous Expenditures : Facility Reserve contributions were also used to pay for the LRCS Master Plan ($130,000), the EPD PERF Study ($35,000), and homeless prevention services ($150,000). ATTACHMENT C CONSOLIDATED COMMENTS FROM PUBLIC FORUMS June 23, 2009 & June 25, 2009 Discussion: Moving Police out of City Hall to site on Country Club Road LEGEND Hollow bullets indicate specific responses from City staff to questions posed by the public during the o forum. Clarifying Questions – following Mike Penwell’s presentation ? Can we trade the Country Club Road building for the Veteran’s Administration [who occupy space in the federal building]? The GSA has specific guidelines, and is not in the practice of trading buildings that they o own. ? Could we trade City Hall for the Country Club Road site? The Country Club Road site is more desirable and worth a lot more o ? What are the seismic standards of the Country Club Road facility? Original construction was higher than the standards at the time o The owners have done a lot of updating so far o Engineering analysis/plan is to bring up to current “essential facility” seismic levels o ? What is the condition of the Country Club Road building? Because the building was originally a Pacific Bell call center, it had higher standards than o normal, at the time The owners completely renovated the building in 1997/98 and made structural o improvements If the City acquires the building, they would bring it up to LEED (energy efficiency) o standards, including equipment replacement It has an open floor plan and is easy to remodel o It was built in 1982, but is more like a 1997 building o ? What would happen to the Country Club Road site in the event of a subduction zone earthquake? The City has planned for flooding and earthquake scenarios, many of which include events o that only happen every 100 or 500 years. In the event of a subduction zone earthquake (possibly resulting in a 9 or higher on the Richter scale for several minutes) not many buildings in Eugene would be suitable to withstand it without damage. Also, regarding floods, even with the Country Club building close to the river, it was built higher than the flood plain. In the event of a flood – to the level of the 500 year flood – we would likely have 2-3 days warning to prepare as the river rises. it is possible that the parking garage would be impacted/damaged. We need to be flexible and open to opportunities, and this is the first building in 10 years that is this compliant. Emergency access issues have been discussed, including creating an egress from the o parking lot onto the freeway Bridge collapse scenario o Scenarios have been discussed o Hopefully not every single bridge would be out o Page 1 of 11 Consolidated Comments from June 09 Public Forums.docx The DeFazio bridge was built to current seismic standards, and even though it is a o bike/pedestrian bridge, it was designed to carry emergency vehicles. The National Guard has a plan to set up a floating bridge if all the existing bridges o collapse 2 different studies indicated that the cost to bring City Hall up to current standards would o cost $40-$50M. ? What is meant by “police presence” and “hours of operation”? If we go to the Country Club Road building, we will still need to have a Full Time o downtown presence in the form of counter service during regular business hours (8-5, M- F). We envision having a sub-station with an “obvious” police presence. In any case, police presence will be there [downtown] o ? What do the Police think? Police command staff support moving to the Country Club Rd. building o The union [EPEA] supports it, though one officer wrote an editorial against it o ? How is the City going to handle traffic flow during home games at Autzen Stadium? There will be planning on that issue o Luckily, the police generally do not respond from the “hub” (like at a fire station) o ? Has the City considered leasing instead of buying? It is generally more cost-effective for the City to buy rather than lease because the City o usually keeps its buildings for a long time ? How about EWEB? We are continuing to look at the Administration building. It is about the same square o footage as the current City Hall. However, there is more site area around it. Country Club Road Site – Comments in Favor Condition of Current City Hall ? Safety ? Safety of officers and assured response only if in “seismic-proof” building – URGENT need ? Safety – cost effective ? There is a big difference between how the community treats fire and how they treat police ? Morale is bad for people who must work in an unsafe building ? First responders need to be where they can do the job ? Get Police out of City Hall ASAP ? Get Police out of building ASAP – earthquake risk ? We owe it to police to give them something that is safe ? The need is today. 10 years ago, we promised the Police we would do something about their building and we haven’t done it! ? 10 yrs ago – should have moved ? City Hall is too small and inefficient ? There is a broad sense that it [City Hall] is not safe for anyone Page 2 of 11 Consolidated Comments from June 09 Public Forums.docx Financial ? Appreciate cost savings ? Good move, great time to buy, fire sale, City is exercising due diligence in trying to buy property in this economy ? Don’t want to miss opportunity ? $40-$50M to upgrade City Hall ? We have the money now – no new taxes or bond measures needed! ? Country Club Road building is uniquely appropriate for Police use, and the money is there ? Fiscally responsible ? Affordability ? “Fire sale” purchase – great price, perfect timing; trust in City’s due diligence ? Fiscally responsible Location ? Not concerned about location compared to downtown ? Not concerned about moving across the river ? Parking good/some concern about traffic ? Traffic impact – do study ? Don’t have a problem with police being on the other side of the bridge / connectivity ? In favor, but concerned with access to police by public: concern that public needs 24/7 access – Country Club would present more difficult pedestrian access Note: Bus stop/parking/bike bridge ? NEEDS TO BE ACCESSIBLE TO PEOPLE ? ? Separate Police from other City staff Allows City to focus on Police now, then other City Hall functions next ? ? Free parking ? Public transportation to new facility, Breeze? [LTD] Funding cuts? Suggestions for Country Club Site Use ? Allows for expansion on site ? Expand the Courts on the site ? Turn it into a justice center of police, courts and social services, and have council and staff relocate into the downtown vacant spaces like Beam Development ? City Jail in new building ? Use the Country Club Road facility only as an interim solution until a state-of-the-art facility can be built Misc ? Gives police presence on north side of river st ? Allows flexibility in doing remodel of City Hall – the required 1 step ? Good idea ? Seems like a viable option ? Win Win ? Favors Country Club move Page 3 of 11 Consolidated Comments from June 09 Public Forums.docx ? Recruitment (helpful) ? Yes! Do it now! ? Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good [Voltaire]. We can’t find perfect, but this is a really good solution. ? One who has been involved in the process since 2003 (and works for Symantec), it has been too long, and it’s time to make a decision. “Let’s do this thing!” Country Club Road Site – Comments Against Commitment to Downtown ? Against moving a major facility away from downtown ? The City has no faith in downtown ? Blow to reinforcing downtown ? Reinforce downtown, don’t move a major part of it out ? Absence of police presence (see additional comments under “Police Presence” heading) ? Moving to Country Club sends a mixed message regarding downtown development Financial ? True cost accounting – upgrade – downtown station ? With municipal costs going up 6% a year and revenues limited to 3% a year how are we going to pay for more police? ? $15 million would put 10 police officers on the street for 10 years! ? Navy and Marine Reserve Center is a cheaper short term solution ? The cost represents too large a part of the building reserve fund. $6 million will not build a City Hall. ? With most of the money in the Facility Reserve Fund going to the police station, with what money will we pay for a new City Hall? ? Why is the facility reserve the only or best option for this? ? Can’t build City Hall with the remaining $6M ? Cost of new facility not just $16M, it will cost extra for the sub-station(s) and freeway egress ? What’s the rush? More places will come on the market – the economy is still going down ? We don’t have to jump into this building right now ? Cost of travel from Police facility to City Hall and court ? Don’t think $16 M is total cost ? Cost of emergency ramp to freeway ? Reserve dollars – what’s left for City Hall? Location ? Real estate saying “Location, Location, Location” – this site fails ? Traffic concerns ? People on other side of the river can’t access City services ? A little concerned about traffic Page 4 of 11 Consolidated Comments from June 09 Public Forums.docx Structural/Safety Issues ? Immediate needs in a dam break ? If the collapse of City Hall is a concern, the new building again has parking underneath (and is in a flood plain) ? How can the City Council force a public safety facility? When the hospital was needed and it was not in our best interest, it [the new hospital] had to be built in Springfield. ? Ferry Street Bridge failure – what is contingency? ? Should study impact of Ferry Street Bridge outage ? Earthquake Misc ? The question is putting the cart before the horse – we need a new City Hall before we need to figure out what to do with the current site. ? The decision has been made – this is a sales pitch, not a discussion ? Not a good idea ? 100 calls from citizens who don’t want it but City Council has made up its mind ? Residents in the area are concerned about noise ? Access to Country Club Road ? Adaptive Reuse – good approach, Country Club bad test subject Comments Regarding Police Presence Downtown ? Important to retain a strong downtown presence ? The move will reduce some presence downtown with less police even if they are only coming and going ? Substation in Beam property ? Satellite facilities – police ? We need precinct station in North and West Eugene ? The downtown substation shutdown – we are offered it back, in exchange for support for this proposal, making this buy a precondition for opening the substation will only alienate certain potential supporters ? We need to go to the precinct model first then figure where the Police HQ would go ? Many smaller stations instead of a larger one – more dispersed ? Downtown Station important to keep police presence ? The significant volume of police presence [downtown] serves as a deterrent to bad behavior ? The benefit of it being downtown is that people can see it ? Master Plan in the 60’s was a coordinated effort for the Federal, County and City government to all be centrally located. We should have 3 major precincts (North, West…). Start thinking dispersal ? Feels like downtown sub-station is being held hostage ? Police as part of process – campus substation, real community policing ? West University neighborhood Student riots recur here ? Page 5 of 11 Consolidated Comments from June 09 Public Forums.docx Most dense neighborhood in town ? Eugene Clinic site more appropriate for these reasons ? ? More eyes [police] on the streets ? Having more distributed police infrastructure would address the redundancy issue ? Highest crime rates are Campus, Downtown and Whiteaker Is substitution enough? ? ? Police precincts in Fire houses - What happened to 911 Willakenzie [fire station]? ? Atrium for downtown station ? Police aren’t terribly visible downtown now No one knows where it is ? Parking is a problem ? ? Studies show less accountability with distance ? Accountability – studies show that the physically closer the police are to their administrative body, the greater their interest is in being more accountable ? Top brass of station will get more out of touch with citizens and community if they are removed from the area ? Police need day-to-day contact with civilians, and have civilian oversight; it is the most civil way to go ? We need more police officers not more police offices! ? Belief that the more police that are out in the community and not behind a desk, the better Suggestions regarding what to do with the existing City Hall Misc ? What do we do with the existing facility and the rest of City Hall? ? Whatever the use, it should be dedicated to service, preferably public service ? Dedicated to serve – public ? City Hall was built for other [civic] purposes, but is a blessing for the current need [to use the building for something else] ? Higher, better use ? City Hall Master Plan – what to do with existing City Hall ? Not a park – crime issues ? Not a park ? Consider re-use st ? 1 step - have to move police ? First step is to determine what to do with City Hall ? Incrementalism ? Is it [City Hall] habitable? ? Make it part of larger park blocks ? Use part of site to help connect with Federal Building ? It was originally an award winning design ? Coordinate with Atrium ? If Police go to Country Club Road, then: Page 6 of 11 Consolidated Comments from June 09 Public Forums.docx Relocate everyone out of existing City Hall and into other safe space ? If WG/Beam don’t happen, build on it for City ? Vacant City Hall site ideas: ? Central Park idea with businesses around ? Use Urban Renewal funds to build new City Hall / sell other City owned buildings ? downtown Financial ? Put it on the market ? Offer property on free market ? $4 million just for property ? The City Hall property without the building is worth about $4M ? Value of land versus improvement ? We need a new City Hall before we can decide what to do with the existing City Hall and $6M won’t buy it. ? More important, don’t want to spend for improvements ? What developer is going to buy something that’s occupied? ? Only 80,000 square feet ? However much money we have, it [City Hall] won’t have a satisfactory upgrade Move Services Out of Existing Building ? All agree City Hall functions can move out of existing buildings ? Pull remaining functions out of City Hall ? What do we do with City Hall if we get the rest of the folks out? ? Consensus that existing functions could be moved out of City Hall – not good condition. Don’t spend money on building, create a marketplace. ? City Hall where it is – lot across street developed first, move while retrofitting. Tremendous arch bridge with shops and concessions/working bridge ? No City Hall pit – retrofit – reject $ they talk about – wonderfully flexible building – on roof, steam system. Excellent exposure for solar, don’t buy the current $ projection ? Consider other development options for the rest of City Hall ? Rent other office space downtown while building a new, safer space for City Hall ? There are plenty of vacancies downtown, occupy them Keep & Use Existing Building ? Remodel City Hall – let it be “ceremonial” space Fill parking ? ? Respect the architectural history of old City Hall, but can’t remodel while occupied ? We in the West tear down buildings that are 50 years old. The current one is imposing, but would like to treat it as a civic monument, use arts and crafts, very “Eugene.” ? City Hall as public market? ? Farmers’ Market ? Saturday Market ? Metro-Retro Art Museum Page 7 of 11 Consolidated Comments from June 09 Public Forums.docx ? Art center ? Teen Center (open until midnight) ? Use City Hall for Farmer’s Market and a Teen Center, where City Councilors and others can participate in mentor programs. ? Small options: pool, park, grocery store ? Grocery store ? Combination – part building, part green space, part parking ? Maybe parking lot on interim basis ? Put a parking lot there and get revenue ? Hotel / Convention Center – private with City support Helps bring property on tax base ? ? Home for non-profits ? Civic Center – non-profit center ? Homeless people ? Low income apartments ? Offer to developer for new [non-governmental] use, Marketplace ? Sell to developer to turn into a hotel and convention center ? Attempt to make the City Hall building a mixed use development – some things can’t be done, like condos ? Civic meeting center ? Continue use of City Hall for Council Chambers, etc…award winning design. ? Continue use of Council Chamber ? City Councilor’s offices in the basement Tear Down Existing Building ? Tear it down and build a new City Hall on the same site – as the City Hall Public Process recommended? ? Tear down City Hall – build state-of-the-art building for government function ? Take the building [City Hall] down and hold the property ? Level it ? Raze City Hall ? Level it – it’s not worth much ? Tear down building, relocate everyone into vacant spots downtown Suggestions for the site and design for a new City Hall Proximity to Library ? Keep site centralized, also City offices close to Library with a park ? City Hall across from Library is a good idea ? Land swap with property owners near Library and build/relocate there ? Property swap with property owners of land by Library ? Retrofit for police – City office closer to Library Page 8 of 11 Consolidated Comments from June 09 Public Forums.docx EWEB ? Can City Hall move to EWEB HQ? ? EWEB reservoirs ? Take over EWEB building by eminent domain by declaring as blighted and fix it! Existing Site th ? 8 & High – the “triangle” by Federal Courthouse are the worst sites to build new ? The best site is the current site, the most logical option would be to build over the existing parking lot ? Build in same location ? Pristine, respect connection to County Financial ? Federal money – Homeland Security. Suggestion to involve Rep Peter DeFazio, because he chairs a committee that oversees over $600M dollars, some of which could go to a new building ? Seek federal money ? $1.2 M study ? Use Urban Renewal funds Misc ? The architect has taken one particular view. [Instead] how about a flexible building design, building and mounting things on top of the roof. Build incrementally, in components. ? There is value in consolidating a “home” for City government ? South Hills – safety – bedrock ? Cooperate with developer to create something positive downtown ? Recruiting for businesses in Eugene (and the Eugene area) is very difficult when City Hall looks like it does ? Don’t like how City Hall looks ? Expand court ? Courthouses ? There is a special nature to the issue in that talking about it for ten years has failed. The bigger issue is City Hall. They change the nature of City Hall, parking spaces, having it on a great street. Need to share with the street. th ? “Great Street” concept, expanding 8 Avenue, considering proximity to County and Federal ? If we are going to have a great street, it will need more vibrant activities ? Not a supporter of downtown great street concept ? Central Park idea General Comments and Questions Financial ? Don’t want Facilities Reserve spent on pot holes ? Do want money spent on City facilities Page 9 of 11 Consolidated Comments from June 09 Public Forums.docx ? Cheapness now does not mean we will save money in the long run ? How much does the building put on the property tax rolls? What are we doing to do with the savings? ? What happened to the $1.2M? ? 15% cut salary ? Building from tax roll? ? What is the savings? ? In the interest of realtors, property value and the value of the surrounding property, both downtown and around Country Club Road Public Involvement ? Have a public hearing, up or down. Yes/no invitation, more transparent ? Perception of thorough involvement = support for additional needed funds ? Fix process somewhat – public hearing in 1 week – save staff time to determine political viability (overcome journalists as issue framers’ problem) ? What happened to the City Hall Public Process? ? Why this question? ? Put this issue to the voters ? Consider asking voters (i.e. site) ? Don’t send to the voters, we elected people to figure this out ? $1,000 contest for school kids to design City Hall, what would happen is that people would be involved at a grass roots level to cultivate support and best ideas Police Involvement in Process ? It is unfortunate that police is not part of this process. [Interactions] with the University sub- station, considers them to be incredibly involved with the public. Element missing from process. ? Why is EPD not here? ? What does the Police Advisory Board think? Misc ? What’s the rush? ? What about court? ? Can courts move with Police to Country Club Road? [If so] That would be worth exploring ? What is cost of travel between City Hall and County Courthouse? ? More eyes on the street. Public buildings not used at night. Active uses [downtown] needed. [More] details. ? EPD is like a spare tire; keep in the trunk until you need it. We’ll never get a City Hall as long as police is there ? If the space at Country Club Road is double what is currently used, are [non-police] City services going to be combined there? At the current rate, it doesn’t seem that more police are really going to happen. ? If Mike Penwell has not been able to “sell” this after so many years [11] working on it, maybe another spokesperson would help; perhaps a “changing of the guard.” Another participant commended Mike for bringing people together. Page 10 of 11 Consolidated Comments from June 09 Public Forums.docx ? More building details needed ? Will you combine policing functions? ? What do we do with City Hall if we get the rest of the folks out? ? Value of police station ? What happens to existing Police facility? ? Why ask? ? 8 years of missed opportunities!? ? How many leases does the City have? Written statement read aloud by Paul Spain, e-mailed to Krisitie Hammitt & Mike Clark, and quoted below: “My name is Paul Spain, I reside at 1112 Valley Butte Drive, Eugene, Oregon. I am here this evening to speak out in favor of moving the police department to the building being considered on Country Club Road. It is time for the elected officials of this city to stop pandering to the populist ideas of the few and extreme, and embrace the responsibilities of their offices for the many and the moderate. This city has eviscerated the police department and bombarded them with administrative oversight to the point that they have destroyed the morale of our men and women in uniform who put themselves at risk everyday for the citizens of our community. To continue to require them to work in a cramped, unsafe work environment is morally irresponsible and borders on fiscal malfeasance. They have been forced to work in the very same cramped, unsafe work environment vacated by our fire department several years ago. Why you would want to deny our police force the same respect and courtesy shown to our firefighters is beyond comprehension. If this were a private employer making the same decision, this city’s elected officials would be moving mountain and mole hill, day and night, to force them to move to a facility that would be better for its employees, such as the matter before us. Give our officers the respect and courtesy they so well deserve by at the very least, providing them, and us as citizens, a safe and efficient work environment. Do not squander this opportunity to acquire a facility that is fundamentally move in ready which I would expect could be readied for their occupancy within a year. Attempting to retrofit the existing structure that is seismically unsafe and likely riddled with hazardous environmental conditions such as asbestos and lead paint, which would be released in the air during a retrofitting process, would add additional expense to such an endeavor, no doubt increasing costs well beyond current estimates.” Page 11 of 11 Consolidated Comments from June 09 Public Forums.docx