Renovations needed to allow long-term shelter use at 2200 Ashland St.
By Morgan Rothborne, Ashland.news
The Ashland City Council will have the opportunity to vote Tuesday on future plans for the building at 2200 Ashland St. after weighing options, future costs and ongoing investment at the site.
City staff provided councilors with three potential paths to choose from. The staff report for the agenda item says councilors can vote to accept state funding and make the necessary renovations to continue using the building for a long term homeless shelter, decline state funding and end 24/7 shelter operations at the site, or work with community partner ACCESS to seek an alternative way to provide shelter.
To continue offering 30 beds with 24/7 staffing at the site, the city would need to invest in a variety of renovations to satisfy state fire code and other requirements.
The city may need to “adjust window height” and provide additional ways to get out in case of an emergency. The cost for these potential renovations was not listed. Other changes included a sprinkler system and a “wire strobe alarm” system. The sprinkler system was estimated to cost between $7 to $10 per square foot with a building-wide cost of between $37,000 and over $53,000. The alarm system would come at an estimated cost of $3 to $6 per square foot ,or from $15,000 to over $30,000, for the entire building, according to the staff report.
The city would have to add an additional bathroom and drinking fountains to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, but the cost estimate for these renovations was not listed in the agenda item. The city would also need to renovate the building’s kitchen and install laundry facilities ,but these cost estimates were also not listed.
The city has already invested over $2 million in the building’s purchase and use as a shelter. The $2 million purchase price was largely paid for with $1.4 million from grant funding. The city has also invested $27,000 in architectural fees for occupancy certification requirements; $161,263 in construction costs, including fencing, security cameras and utilities; $11,088 in operational needs, such as utilities, repairs, trash and port-a-potties; and $133,705 in contract costs to-date with service provider Opportunities for Housing, Resources & Assistance (OHRA), according to the staff report.
Council has to consider the potential for renovating the building to offer continued shelter due to an agreement with nonprofit ACCESS dating to the original receipt of state money to stand up the building as a shelter in response to Governor Tina Kotek’s emergency declaration on homelessness in 2023, according to the staff report.
Council will also consider creating an ad hoc committee to create a master plan for the building.
In other council business Tuesday, council will consider the lease of a building for a new police station in the former Suds-Ur-Duds laundromat at 2345 Ashland St., No. 103. The potential secondary police office space is being considered due to, “an increased presence of negative behavior within the Ashland Street business corridor,” according to the agenda item. The lease would cost the city $1,000 per month with an additional $1,100 due at signing and $32,288 for renovations. The item is listed under the consent agenda for Tuesday’s meeting.
Council will also consider a $182,200 construction bid for a replacement of the Alice Applegate Peil Walkway leading from Granite Street to the Ashland Plaza. Council will vote on a second reading for the new Parks, Trails, and Open Space Map and a resolution to approve the Vision Zero program, an effort to eliminate casualties in public transit systems.
Email Ashland.news reporter Morgan Rothborne at [email protected].
