Officials approve condensed contracting process for Emeralds' proposal at Lane Events Center
Lane County officials have given staff the green light to condense the contracting process for a possible multi-use facility at the Lane Events Center.
County commissioners on Wednesday unanimously approved an exemption from the normal public contracting process to instead use a design-build method for the proposed facility, which would serve as a new home for the Eugene Emeralds at the county-owned events center.
Staff settled on the design-build process after conversations with county leadership, consultants and the minor league team, said Shawn Waite, the county’s facilities and capital planning manager
“Given the unique nature of the facility in that Lane County has not constructed a facility similar in nature, we believe that a progressive design-build will be the most efficient and cost-effective means for construction,” Waite said.
She added the process allows for addressing potential design confusion early and lets the county consider expertise and cost rather than just going with the lowest cost as in the normal procurement process.
Hillsboro is using a similar process to expand and revamp the stadium for the Hops, a team in the same league as the Emeralds, she said.
Both teams must meet new MLB facility standards after a move up to the league’s High-A class.
While Hillsboro is remodeling, the Ems are in the process of finding a new stadium because the new standard and a longer season mean the team, which has called Eugene home for decades, can no longer play at the University of Oregon’s PK Park.
MLB is requiring the Ems to find a new home by 2025, but the university would prefer the team figure things out by 2024, General Manager Allan Benavides told county officials last month.
'There’s no time to waste.':Coming months 'critical' for Emeralds' proposal at Lane Events Center
As Lane County staff and consultants work with the team to explore whether a "New Civic Stadium" is feasible for the Lane Events Center, the design-build process likely will mean a shorter project time, according to a staff memo.
Staff identified no significant drawbacks to using the approach as the county moves forward in considering the proposal.
Community members have been split about the project, expressing both delight that the facility could revamp the events center and fairgrounds and concerns about placing it in the middle of a neighborhood.
Neighborhood response:Effort to build baseball stadium for Emeralds at Lane Events Center spurs delight, concerns
Commissioner Jay Bozievich, who’s an engineer, said the design-build method allows the county to be responsive to community feedback during the design process.
“Design-build offers that unique opportunity to work back and forth with the people who are actually going to build the facility and designers to get the best thing you can and to work features in that the community wants,” he said.
In addition to serving as a new home for the Ems, the facility would host community events, serve as an outdoor concert venue and accommodate baseball tournaments at multiple levels of play.
Now that officials have approved a deviation from the normal procurement process, staff will issue a request for qualifications then invite contractors with the desired expertise to submit proposals, Waite said.
Staff will then come back in mid-September at the earliest to have officials select a contractor, she said.
Contact city government watchdog Megan Banta at mbanta@registerguard.com. Follow her on Twitter @MeganBanta_1.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Lane County OKs design-build process for multi-use facility, Ems home
