Salem employees will see brighter, safer workspaces following a $39 million project moving the Public Works Department from a “dark bunker” into a modern 50,000 square foot building.
The new building consolidated office space for public works operations, engineering, parks and recreation and administrative staff who design and maintain city infrastructure, manage utilities and answer calls from the public. The building includes a public-facing customer service and reception area.
The city held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, Oct. 3, and over 100 city employees, their families and project partners were in attendance. The new building is at 1457 23rd St. S.E., near the old offices and part of the city shops complex.
The project started in the winter of 2022, and was completed in September. It aimed to bring staff out of a building that former Public Works Director Peter Fernandez described as a cold and dank vintage space with a leaky roof.
The new building was finished under budget, largely using the utility fund, which is funded by Salemites’ water and sewer bills and can’t be used for general city operations. Unlike the city’s general fund, the utility fund is in good fiscal health due to “prudent financial management including the refinancing of outstanding debt, payoff of debt, and stable rate increases,” according to an August report from Chief Financial Officer Josh Eggleston.
Portland-Based Hacker Architects designed the building, and the lead contractor was Portland-based Howard S. Wright Construction. Sixty-five percent of the contracted work went to local contractors in Marion, Polk, Linn and Benton Counties, according to the city.
The building is meant to withstand a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake, which could reach a magnitude of 8 or 9, and its design incorporates the first community microgrid in the state, which will be able to power the building and nearby residences in the event of a widespread outage.
Check out photos of the new building below:
Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-704-0355.
SUPPORT OUR WORK – We depend on subscribers for resources to report on Salem with care and depth, fairness and accuracy. Subscribe today to get our daily newsletters and more. Click I want to subscribe!
Abbey McDonald joined the Salem Reporter in 2022. She previously worked as the business reporter at The Astorian, where she covered labor issues, health care and social services. A University of Oregon grad, she has also reported for the Malheur Enterprise, The News-Review and Willamette Week.
