Questions and answers
Below are some answers to frequently asked questions about the Eugene Water &
Electric Board's plans to build a new operations center.
The administrative staff and customer service operations will remain in the existing
headquarters building on the riverfront in Eugene. However, EWEB's current field
operations facilities have deteriorated to a point where they have outlived their
useful life and are no longer efficient.
The current operations center – the Quonset hut just to the southwest of the headquarters
– was built in 1952 and is in need of replacement. The building does not meet seismic
standards and would be prone to major damage or collapse during an earthquake.
Furthermore, as Eugene has grown, it has become increasingly difficult for our larger
trucks to get out of the current site in an efficient way. Traffic has increased
significantly. We pride ourselves on responding quickly to outages and other problems
with the electric and water systems. Building an operations center that is nearer
to major streets and arterials will improve efficient operations.
Nothing is wrong with the building, which was constructed in 1988. That is one reason
why commissioners have decided to keep its customer service and administrative staff
in the current riverfront headquarters.
In 2005, EWEB purchased 52-acres at the southeast corner of Roosevelt Boulevard
and Beltline Road as the site for its operations center.
The Eugene City Council on Feb. 25 authorized EWEB to issue up to $85.5 million
in bonds to finance construction of the Roosevelt Operations Center. EWEB will issue
the bonds under the Uniform Revenue Bond Act, which allows for the issuance of revenue
bonds with the approval of the governing elected body. Under URBA, there is a 60-day
window in which citizens can gather signatures to put the issue on the ballot. That
60-day period expired on April 28.
EWEB Commissioners established a project budget of $83.5 million for the facility;
the additional $2 million in bonding authority is needed to cover insurance and
other bond-sale costs. The bonds will be paid back with electric and water revenues.
Based on the preliminary design for the Roosevelt Operations Center, residential
customers could see an increase of approximately 1.6 percent in their electric rates
and 8.7 percent in their water rates, or $52 annually for the average residential
customer.
Proceeds from any sale of riverfront property vacated when construction is completed
would reduce the rate impacts.