If you think the title of this blog post is far-fetched, think again. It's the truth: building a new police facility here in Salem could lead to many lives being lost.
It all depends on whether City officials make a wise or foolish decision.
And that may depend on the final recommendations of a Blue Ribbon Task Force on the Police Facility whose apparent last meeting is coming up on April 28.
The City of Salem web site describes what the task force is supposed to do.
The group’s work may include recommending suggestions for lowering the cost of the proposed new Police Facility, considering whether it is cost effective to include some deferred maintenance and or seismic strengthening at the Civic Center buildings (including the Library) and campus.
Seismic strengthening.
This means retrofitting City Hall and the Library so, though they would be damaged when (not if) the Big One Cascadia Subduction Earthquake hits, the lives of people in the buildings would be saved.
Currently both City Hall and the Library are expected to collapse in the Big One earthquake. This is a big reason why a new police facility is needed: presently the police headquarters is on the ground floor of the three story City Hall.
Everyone inside would be at the bottom of a "pancaked" City Hall after a major earthquake.
So the original plan by City officials was to (1) build a new police facility to current seismic standards, which are higher for a police building, since it should be usable after an earthquake, not just strong enough to save the lives of people inside, and (2) seismically retrofit City Hall and the Library, along with making some renovations to City Hall.
The price tag for both projects was $80 million. Salem Community Vision, along with other Salem citizens, saw that this was way too high.
City officials wanted what amounted to a police palace built next to, and over, Mirror Pond on the Civic Center campus, complete with very expensive underground parking. When they tried to sell this plan to the community, the resounding reply was "No way!"
Thus, as noted above, Mayor Anna Peterson ending up appointed members to a Police Facility Task Force, charging it with lowering the cost of a new police facility and considering whether seismic strengthening of Civic Center buildings should occur.
Disturbingly, at its last meeting the Task Force approved a motion that calls for a single bond measure (amount unknown) for a new police facility. There was no mention of seismic retrofitting of City Hall and the Library.
Do the Task Force members really believe that it is important to save the lives of police department staff when the Big One earthquake hits, but not the lives of other City of Salem employees, along with the lives of anyone visiting City Hall and the Library?
Children. Families. Senior citizens.
Here's the dilemma faced by the Police Facility Task Force, which seems to be the reason it is on track to recommend leaving people at City Hall and the Library at great risk of dying in a major earthquake:
(1) The Police Chief correctly has told the Task Force that an $80 million bond for a new police facility and seismic upgrades to the Civic Center is too high a cost for citizens to accept.
(2) Seemingly there isn’t a way to reduce the cost of seismic upgrades, $15 million or so.
(3) So the cost of the police facility has to be reduced to be sure there is public support for both building a new police facility and doing seismic upgrades.
(4) If this doesn’t happen, and seismic upgrades are left undone, many people could die at the Civic Center when the Big One earthquake hits.
(5) But many people on the Task Force still want an over-priced police facility, so this squeezes out the money that could be saved by building a lower cost facility, and using the savings for seismic upgrades.
The obvious answer, of course, is to reduce the budget for the police facility. Salem Community Vision has described how this can be done
in a Facebook post that consists of a letter to the Blue Ribbon Task Force on the Police Facility.
(Here the $20 million seismic upgrade cost includes $5 million for renovations to the Civic Center that aren't earthquake-readiness related.)
SALEM COMMUNITY VISION's POSITION ON THE POLICE FACILITY AND THE SEISMIC RETROFIT of the City Hall and the Public Library …
A $50 million BOND MEASURE .. including a $30 million Police Facility and a $20 million seismic retrofit & remediation at City Hall and Library.
April 2015 … Salem Community Vision is following the progress of the Blue Ribbon Task Force on the Police Facility closely and with considerable interest. Since our beginning in the fall of 2013 Salem Community Vision has supported a new police facility and seismic upgrade for City Hall and the Salem Public Library.
We appreciate that the City Council created this body to look at the issues surrounding the creation of a bond to fund the projects. It is clear to us that the original $80 million bond proposal is not favored by the public.
It is also clear that Salem needs to build a new police facility in order to provide safe and efficient service to the citizens of Salem. Also, we need to ensure the safety of citizens who use and work at City Hall, as well as the library.
After a thorough review of all the materials presented at this Task Force, as well as provided by the City of Salem from previous efforts, SCV takes the following position. Salem Community Vision believes that a single bond measure, for no more than $50 million, can be successful.
This bond allows for a well designed police facility for $30 million. Detailed cost estimates are available. It also provides $15 million for seismic retrofitting of the Civic Center buildings (City Hall and Library) and $5 million for needed renovations to City Hall. To achieve the $30 million the police facility parking should be surface parking.
Salem Community Vision supports an open public process for all decision making. Moving forward we hope that all work will be transparent and open for public input through multiple channels. We believe that only through an inclusive public process can confidence in the bond be secured and a positive outcome be achieved.
Salem Community Vision wants to be a part of the campaign to help pass the bond.
Well, I do also.
But only if the lives of everybody who might be at City Hall and the Library when the Big One earthquake hits are viewed as important as the lives of police department staff.
It makes no sense to give the Salem Police Department a fancy over-priced new building, built to modern earthquake safety standards, if this means there isn't enough money to seismically retrofit the Civic Center.
If the Police Facility Task Force and the Salem City Council are foolish enough to go this route, Salem voters should turn down a bond measure for an overly expensive police facility bond that doesn't include money for seismic upgrades to City Hall and the Library.
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