Lane County approves TVA Architects contract for Stabilization Center design

The Lane County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Jan. 13 to award TVA Architects Inc. a contract to provide comprehensive design and construction-administration services for the Lane Stabilization Center, a facility intended to divert people experiencing mental-health or substance-use crises from jail and emergency departments into short-term treatment.

Lauren Blythe, director of operations, told the board the contract scope includes conceptual and schematic design, cost estimation, site development, community engagement, construction documents, bidding and permitting, and oversight of the design during construction. “This is not construction, but it is the next step in accomplishing what staff understand to be among the board’s highest priorities,” Blythe said.

Blythe said the county recently acquired a 17-acre parcel in Springfield and is working on the sale of about 5.8 acres to PeaceHealth for its Timber Springs project, a 96‑bed inpatient psychiatric facility intended to complement the stabilization center. Blythe also said the property is not yet inside Springfield city limits and that an annexation process is underway; the timeline for annexation is currently unknown.

Vice Chair Buck moved to award the contract and delegate authority to the county administrator to execute it. In his motion he stated the award amount as $4,095,016 for comprehensive design services. During the roll call the chair read an amount of $4,995,016 when summarizing the motion; the board then voted to approve the order 5-0. The motion text in the meeting packet (as read by the mover) and the chair’s roll-call reading differ on the dollar figure; staff indicated the full project cost estimate will be developed in an early phase and a more complete presentation is scheduled for the board’s Feb. 3 meeting.

Blythe said staff will provide quarterly project updates beginning in February and that program verification with the selected site provider will inform an initial cost estimate. She described the project as a multi‑department effort led by Health and Human Services with support from county counsel, county administration and a partnership with PeaceHealth.

The board’s action authorizes design work to proceed; a subsequent procurement for construction will follow after a general contractor is selected and after staff return with updated cost estimates and schedule information at the Feb. 3 presentation.

The board approved the contract motion 5-0. The stabilization center project will return to the commissioners on Feb. 3 for a full project presentation and additional deliberations.