For More Information Contact:
Lance Robertson, 984-4716
Eugene Water & Electric Board

EWEB to conduct second public forum on riverfront

The Eugene Water & Electric Board of Commissioners is holding a public forum Wednesday related to the current interest in the utility's riverfront property.

The 7 p.m. meeting on March 2 will be in the North Building of EWEB's headquarters at 500 E. Fourth Ave. It is the second of two public forums being held by the board on the riverfront issue. About 75 people attended the first forum on Feb. 23.

The forums are designed to help commissioners gauge the community's interest and opinions about the current riverfront property negotiations. EWEB staff will make a short presentation, then be available to answer questions.

In February 2004, McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center and the Eugene Water & Electric Board began talking about the possibility of McKenzie-Willamette acquiring EWEB's riverfront property as the site of a new hospital in Eugene. Texas-based Triad, the owner of McKenzie-Willamette, eventually submitted an offer of about $25 million for the property.

Triad's offer is well short of EWEB's estimated moving costs of $38.5 million. No agreement has been signed. EWEB is updating its moving costs.

EWEB's elected commissioners have said they are not willing to raise electric or water rates to finance the utility's relocation. The utility currently is updating its relocation costs and should have a better estimate by September.

EWEB's interest in relocating its non-headquarters facilities dates back to the 1990s, when it went through an extensive long-range planning effort. The result of those studies indicated that moving the non-headquarters facilities – the shops, warehouse, operations center and other non-administrative functions – to another location away from the river would improve operational efficiencies and open up a significant amount of riverfront property for other uses.

Many of EWEB's non-headquarters facilities are in need of major repair or replacement. The operations center, for example, was built in 1952 and has had little work done on it in recent decades, pending a decision by the utility whether to relocate or build a new operations facility.

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