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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Another wolf makes its way into Southern Oregon ... Our View: Let Medford voters decide on marijuana sales ... Reopening of the Siskiyou Line means trucking companies will take a hit ... Another wolf makes its way into Southern Oregon ... Our View: Let Medford voters decide on marijuana sales ... Reopening of the Siskiyou Line means trucking companies will take a hit ... FROM THE COUNCIL From the Council: What went wrong with building projects? By Dick Gordon MailTribune.com By Dick Gordon Posted Oct. 18, 2015 @ 12:01 am By Dick Gordon Posted Oct. 18, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> The Medford area is a great place to live, raise a family, or retire. But Medford is a different place if you serve on the Medford City Council. Significant segments of a vocal population demand various government services, but are the first to complain about taxes and fees. The council has a tough job to balance required city services against what folks determine they are willing to pay. Of the many issues facing the council, a new police station and three new fire stations are most pressing. This is an issue that is not going away soon. Early in 2009, as a new council member, I learned there were two safety building issues that needed attention. I saw first-hand police officers at City Hall interviewing witnesses and those accused of crimes in the stairwells, in the halls, outdoors, and in the elevator. Not a good situation for anyone and frightening to me as a new councilor. Fire station No. 2 on West Eighth Street has air handling issues, which could negatively affect the health of our firefighters. As Medford grows, station No. 2 is not in a location to minimize response times and the station is so small that it cannot house appropriate fire apparatus. This should not be interpreted as saying the other four stations are satisfactory, because they are not OK, but the problems with station No. 2 are more severe. Each year, from 2009 to 2013, these two projects remained close to the top of the council goals. The police and fire staff worked diligently to determine the best ways to solve current and future space and service delivery needs. The council authorized the hiring of consulting firms to help with the process. The thorough review of needs was well documented and the council instructed staff to recommend options on how to finance the projects. I am a stickler for validation of need, and the police and fire certainly provided that information over and over. I am also a stickler for community input, and before the city sold bonds in late 2013 there were plenty of opportunities for public input. Minimal input was received from the public. Normally, I would also request a public vote, but the timing for lower-than-expected interest rates on bonds, a construction boost to help put people to work and the immediacy of the need to protect the health and safety of our city employees and the general public was paramount. So where did this go wrong? The police station increase of nearly 5,000 square feet should have sounded alarms. The council should have instructed staff to shrink other areas of the project instead of adding footage. The original fire proposal included two new and one remodeled fire station. This quickly changed to three new fire stations. Another alarm sounded. Most important, I assumed that city staff had the skills and time to manage all the projects with councilors performing the oversight. In hindsight, the council should have hired an experienced owner’s representative to represent the council and city in working with the architects, general contractor and staff. Should the council take the full blame for the cost overruns? Of course not, but the buck stops with the council. As a councilor, my expectations moving forward are to stay within our bond proceeds, provide functional buildings to meet our needs and deliver to Medford citizens quality buildings for the lowest price. I expect the police station to be on or near the original budget, without the parking structure alternative facade. This is based on information the council received, which included information on an over $800,000 owner controlled contingency. I expect construction of fire station No. 2 sometime in the near future. In the interim, the architects and general contractor need to suck it up and stop blaming the subcontractors, continue to find cost reduction solutions, and stop the extra charges. For example, ORW Architecture wants over $130,000 to redesign the fire station roofs to an anticipated less expensive construction model. This is our community, we are all in this together, and we need to help each other. Thank you Ward 1 for allowing me to represent you, an honor I cherish. Dick Gordon, [email protected] , is a member of the Medford City Council. The views expressed in this piece are the individual's and do not necessarily represent the opinions or positions of the City Council. By Dick Gordon MailTribune.com By Dick Gordon Posted Oct. 18, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Terms of Service /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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