New Molalla Police Facility Committee

On August 14, 2024 the Molalla City Council approved a final amendment to the construction contract with P&C Construction that brought the total and final contract GMP amount to $16,877,864. This is in line with our planning and site work and utilities have already begun! Start up activities such as the groundbreaking ceremony, site security, job trailer, site trenching for utilities and footings, survey and various inspections are moving along and each week the owner, architect and contractor meet on site to review progress and collaborate. The project is on target to be complete by the end of 2025.”

On December 21, 2023, the Molalla Police Facility team met via Zoom to discuss the next steps of the project. The team consists of City staff, Police Chief, Police Lieutenant, Police Services Supervisor, architect and engineering team members, and owner’s representative. The team discussed the design schedule, various responsibilities of each person, and engaged on commitments to move forward with the project. It was an excellent meeting with positive outcomes. The project is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2025. More updates to follow as we move forward.

Thank you for your interest in the Molalla Police Facility!

After watching this video please post your questions under the

Police Bond Q & A tool on the New Molalla Police Facility Committee project page.

The Molalla Police Station Bond Q&A

Our police department can’t stop Molalla from growing, but we do need to keep Portland problems off our streets and protect the quality of life we have here. The Molalla Police Station will be on our November ballot requesting voters’ permission for the city to secure a twenty-six-year, $16 million public safety bond to build a more functional headquarters for the Molalla police department.

WHY DO WE NEED A NEW POLICE HEADQUARTERS?

Molalla police need safe, secure facilities to book and temporarily hold criminals, before taking them to Clackamas County Jail in Oregon City. Right now, our police officers operate out of makeshift space at city offices and share a public parking lot. In City Hall officers don’t have private desk space to fill out paperwork, room to store evidence properly on site, training space, or space to hold public meetings. There aren’t secure bathrooms, lockers, or showers for on-duty personnel. There is no protected parking lot or staging area for preparation and safety.

All this costs the City of Molalla critical police time and wastes public money, while preventing our sworn officers from being able to do their jobs effectively. Worse, it will keep us from increasing capacity as our public safety and community needs continue to grow.

Finally, a proper police headquarters would allow Molalla to finally have an emergency operations center to direct emergency efforts and coordinate public safety crisis response.

WHAT WILL THE MEASURE ACTUALLY DO?

If approved, the bonds would pay capital costs to provide a new police station and related facilities on existing City land. Specifically, the project will:

• Increase capacity and safety for officers, staff, and the public,
• Allow for local, adequate temporary holding cells,
• Provide secure space for equipment and evidence,
• Provide space for officer training and task force meetings,
• Allow for on-site community group meetings,
• Create an emergency operations center to direct emergency efforts and coordinate other public safety crises,
• Increase efficiency of operations with additional officer workspace, improved technology, and adequate showering and toilet facilities.
• Be seismically sound and accessible to all.

HOW WOULD IT BE PAID FOR?

The City Council has been putting aside money for years to be able to purchase land for a police station without increasing taxes. We now have a city-owned site (the old bowling alley) ready to roll. We are ready to move forward, but first the public must approve this public safety measure to create a $16 million bond for construction costs over the next twenty-six years.

Bonds may be issued in multiple series in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $16 million, each series maturing within 26 years from issuance. The estimated annual tax rate would be $0.97 per $1,000 of assessed value or approximately $20.21 per month on a home assessed at $250,000. The actual levy rate may differ due to final interest rates and changes in assessed value.

This measure requires citizen accountability and oversight over bond expenditures. Proceeds of the bonds would pay capital costs to provide a new police station and related facilities on existing City land.

DON’T WE ALREADY ARREST AND HOLD CRIMINALS?

Well of course. But there is no doubt the existing space is inadequate to securely process criminals, let alone hold them safely. There is no private desk space to process paperwork. Our current temporary holding space is a converted shower/bathroom with a wooden door that gets damaged and has to be replaced repeatedly. Dangerous offenders have to be immediately transported to Oregon City, costing us critical officer time, reducing safety on our streets, and costing us tax dollars.

WHY IS A SECURE PARKING LOT SO IMPORTANT?

Right now, the police have actually had to respond to calls in their shared parking lot, keeping them from using their own lot for other police business. There is no place to prepare for mobilization, do training, or even maintain vehicles. A secure police parking lot for officers and the public preserves safety and will allow the police department to fully function at all times.

ARE THINGS REALLY THAT BAD?

No need to take our word for it! The police department has a virtual tour video of their existing facilities which will be posted online in August. Give it three minutes of your time to consider whether there is a real need.

DO WE REALLY NEED A MOLALLA EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER?

This isn’t the reason the bond initiative was referred, but it is a huge additional benefit. Local crisis coordination will save lives and property by decreasing response time and improve our capacity to mobilize resources and first responders when we need them most. Forest fires aren’t going away, but we can be better prepared for them as well as all crises that come our way. Molalla should be able to take of its own, and right now we aren’t.

WHAT ABOUT OUR SCHOOLS AND ROADS?

We need good schools and to manage traffic as Molalla grows. Nothing is free, but we must make responsible choices by working together for the good of our community. We referred this measure to avoid sacrificing our public safety needs. The city has planned this process for years and built in accountability. Other public needs will inevitably arise, but if everything is done as carefully and responsibly as this measure has been, we believe we will continue to keep Molalla a place we are proud to call home.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THIS MEASURE PASSES?

We are ready to begin construction of a new police headquarters as soon as voters decide if this is their priority. Thanks to responsible financial management, the City Council has already been able to secure and prepare a site without raising taxes. The old bowling alley has been removed and the site can be converted into an appropriate police headquarters with additional space available for community meetings.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF IT FAILS?

Our police will always continue to do the best they can to deal with the increased traffic, crime, homelessness, and drug problems that come with our growth. But make no mistake, those problems probably won’t get better on their own. We will only have to react as best as possible to our very limited capacity and growing needs.

If you have question please let us know!

**some questions have been submitted via social media or emails to city representatives - they are are posted and answered below**

Did you know you can take a tour of the police station? Molalla Police Department is hosting tours of the current police station facility. The next tour is scheduled on June 20th, 2023, the time to be determined. If you would like to join this tour please contact Nicole Ricker at rnicker@molallapolice.com or call 503-829-8817. Some of the items covered in the tour include:

• Our current facility
• Future facility
• Design, build, companies, contractors
• Bond information and cost
• Why the community needs this and why the police staff need this
• What happens with City Hall after
• Rendering pictures of the new facility and its whole design

Get a sneak peek of the tour by clicking below!

https://current.cityofmolalla.com/12412/widgets/49136/documents/43806

As the City of Molalla considers whether to move forward with referring a bond measure to allow the creation of a police headquarters, we are seeking feedback from the community on our needs and priorities. To do so confidentially and scientifically, we have commissioned a professional research interviewing company to perform a telephone survey of citizens. The survey period will begin tomorrow and last approximately 10 days. We have also created this survey on the Current platform to reach more of our residents.

We wish to thank everyone who completes the survey for their cooperation. Our City Council members will consider the final results as part of the public process leading up to a potential vote later this year.

***This survey is now closed - Thank you to all who participated, your input is valuable and appreciated.

City of Molalla Survey

Would you like to see where your police work when they are not patrolling the streets? Come tour the Molalla Police Department and see where some of the less glamorous work happens. Call 503-829-8817 and ask for Nicole, or email nricker@molallapolice.com. Due to space limits, tour groups can be no larger than 10 people at a time.

Tour dates of June 14th and June 20th currently, time will be discussed upon contact.

Starting 5/8/2023 P&C Construction will begin demolition and salvage work for the New Police Facility at 150 Grange Ave, Molalla, OR, previously known as Molalla Bowl. Keep checking back for more progress updates and photos!

On March 9, 2023 the MPD team met to discuss the project finish types such as carpet color and styles, wall finishes and locations of white boards, TVs and acoustic paneling. We also publicly received bids for the Phase 1 work which includes demolition, abatement and salvage of the bowling alley site. The bids came in under our budget expectations and we are currently looking at verifying the bid assumptions and qualifications. It was an overall positive and productive day for the project and its team members!

On 2.16.2023 the MPD core team from the City, P&C Construction and Mackenzie Architects met to discuss the progressing design and make material decisions on building components such as exterior wall material and building heating and air conditioning systems as well as review the proposed exterior landscaping plan. The team is always looking to find better ways through value engineering to keep costs lower without sacrificing quality. P&C is looking in to providing pricing for demolishing the bowling alley this Summer 2023 which will also include abatement and salvage of the bowling alley lane material where the City is looking at the best places to store it for use in the new building. There are many more months of design activities as well as preparing for a bond measure in November 2023.