Baker City accepts $2.5 million state seismic grant for police building; capital projects fund created

Baker City councilors on May 27 approved a resolution creating a new capital projects fund and unanimously accepted a state seismic rehabilitation grant award of $2,499,632 for seismic upgrades to the police department building.

Finance staff said the capital projects fund (Fund 109) will account for major capital purchases and improvements and will track grants and related expenditures. The first project expected to use the fund is the police department seismic rehabilitation. Staff described the Seismic Rehabilitation Grant Program as a competitive State of Oregon grant for critical public facilities and said the award is reimbursement‑based: contractors and engineers invoice the city, the city submits those invoices to the state and the state reimburses the city.

City staff said there is no local match requirement for the award. The packet identifies a required procurement/bid process and a schedule of engineering, design and construction phases. Staff said the city will need to initiate formal bidding and engineering steps and that the state expects documentation of progress; staff estimated state reimbursement turnaround would be reasonably prompt but could operate on a typical invoice cycle.

Councilors asked about project scope and timing and expressed interest in seeing what the $2.5 million will cover; staff said the work will include seismic stabilization work such as underpinning, masonry stabilization and other measures identified by engineering. The council approved the resolution establishing Fund 109 and a separate motion to accept the Seismic Rehabilitation Grant, both by unanimous vote.