McMinnville staff to return with updated cost scenarios for parks and recreation package; Miller property purchase remains on hold under two‑year agreement

Parks Director Susan Murritt told the McMinnville City Council at a Feb. work session that staff will return with updated, point‑in‑time cost estimates and that council will have a dedicated meeting about debt and bond timing on April 8.

At the work session Murritt reviewed three distinct prior cost studies used by staff over the last six years: the 2019 facility condition assessments (FCAs), the 2020 Phase 1 feasibility study and the 2022 MACPAC recommendation. She said each study served a different purpose and was prepared at a different time and escalation assumption, and that the council should not use those older planning‑level numbers interchangeably.

The discussion mattered because the MACPAC recommendation — the most expansive option discussed publicly in recent years — has been referenced in shorthand by some as roughly a $152 million package that would bundle recreation facilities, parks, and a new library. Murritt noted that earlier estimates address different combinations of buildings and that components such as board‑level parks allocations (about $10 million) and a separate library line (about $20–22 million) are not apples‑to‑apples with the Phase 1 renovation/new‑build comparisons.

Why it matters: councilors pressed staff for numbers the public can understand and compare — specifically (1) what it would cost to fully repair existing buildings so they meet ADA and seismic requirements, (2) updated renovation vs. replacement estimates like the 2020 Phase 1 study, and (3) current, escalated costs for the MACPAC/optimal package. Council members said those updated figures are necessary to explain to voters what additional services or features would justify the difference in cost between simple repair and a larger new facility.

Key figures and…