Lawmakers hear request for $40 million public‑safety infrastructure package including Gresham station rebuild

Representative David Gomberg and other sponsors presented House Bill 3870 to the House Committee on Emergency Management, General Government and Veterans on March 27 as a statewide package of public‑safety capital requests totaling about $40 million for roughly 20 projects.

The bill, as described by sponsors, would provide state funding through the Oregon Business Development Department for a range of projects: new or replacement fire stations, seismic upgrades to facilities, modernization of sheriff’s offices, regional wildfire‑training centers, and behavioral‑health and sobering‑center investments. Gomberg described projects as spread “all around Oregon” and said many are “shovel ready” with local matching funds committed.

The session included detailed testimony about several high‑profile requests. Representatives and local officials urged funding for Gresham Fire Station 74, asking $10 million in state funds with local matches to replace a 1966 unreinforced masonry facility that handles roughly 5,000 calls per year and serves industrial corridors, Interstate 84 and neighboring jurisdictions. Kathy Keithley, Gresham city councilor, and Derek Menard, the city’s fire chief, described radon concerns, cramped sleeping quarters and the station’s regional role; Derek Menard said schematics and cost estimates are at about 40% and the project is “shovel ready” with an estimated $20 million total cost.

McMinnville Fire District leaders and McMinnville volunteer and elected officials urged funding for a new station in a fast‑growing area; the district has committed a 20% match, witnesses said. Mosier Mayor Whit Anderson described a joint fire‑station/community center project that has raised about 75% of required funding and is ready to build with the state contribution. Multiple rural counties and small districts—including Grant County, Lake County and Sheridan Rural Fire Protection District—described urgent needs for vehicles, staffing, facility replacement, EMS sustainability and emergency‑operations upgrades.

Senator David Brock Smith testified in support and offered a proposed amendment to add $6 million for the Oregon State Police for drug enforcement, human‑trafficking and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) investigations; he said the amendment would fund dedicated troopers and related resources.

Speakers emphasized that the state appropriation would be paired with local matches and that the Business Oregon program would allocate funds. Committee members asked how OBDD would prioritize projects and whether the package would be treated as an all‑or‑nothing appropriation; sponsors said allocation and prioritization would occur in Ways and Means and via OBDD program rules. The committee closed the public hearing on House Bill 3870; no committee vote was recorded on March 27.