No, savings from Measure 24-399 WOULDN'T fund Civic Center seismic strengthening

Here's another T.J. Sullivan falsehood about Measure 24-399, the $82 million police facility bond on Salem's November ballot. (Sullivan's previous falsehood is described here.)

At the September 23 Salem City Club debate on the police facility bond between Sullivan and me, he said this:

So if we get $82 million for this new police facility, and we don't use the whole $82 million, we can, depending on how we write the bonding language, we can take that money and put it into retrofitting City Hall and the Library...That's the fastest way we're going to get City Hall and the Library retrofitted, by passing this bond.

Not true.

Here's a portion of the "Progress Report: Police Facility Planning" document prepared by Steve Powers, the Salem City Manager, for the April 4, 2016 City Council meeting. I've highlighted a couple of  especially pertinent points.

Powers notes that given the amount of contingency funds in the $82 million budget -- $5.4 million -- "it is unlikely that the project will be completed with adequate savings to make a measurable impact on the seismic strengthening need of Civic Center buildings, which is currently estimated at approximately $26.6 million (in 2016 dollars."

For sure.

The chance of this $82 million project coming in $27 million under budget is essentially zero. So T.J. Sullivan was just making stuff up when he said, "That's the fastest way we're going to get City Hall and the Library retrofitted, by passing this bond."

No, it isn't.

The fastest way is to REJECT Measure 24-399 so a better plan can be passed next year that includes money to save lives by seismically retrofitting City Hall and the Library, which City officials intended to do before the size and cost of the police facility doubled after Chicago consultants "supersized" the building.

Watch this 3 1/2 minute video where I explain why it makes so much sense to reject the overpriced $82 million bond measure for a wiser $50-$60 million plan that gives the Police Department a perfectly adequate new building AND saves lives by making City Hall and the Library earthquake-safe.

(The video shows two segments of the Salem City Club debate; first I talk about the need for seismic retrofitting of the Civic Center, then answer a question from the moderator about what will happen if Measure 24-399 is voted down.)

Comments

[HarryVanderpool]

Super good job at the debate, Brian!
Excellent points and perfect delivery.
Thank you and good job!

[HarryVanderpool]

Brian, I had much more gratefulness to bestow, but had to stop short.
You see, it was debate night.
I did not want to miss President Trump POUNDING Crooked Hitlery Rotten Clinton.
Thanks for your understanding.