Lane County advances stabilization center project, authorizes alternative contracting method amid regulatory hurdles

The Lane County Board of Commissioners on May 5 received a quarterly progress report on the planned Lane Stabilization Center and authorized staff to pursue an alternative contracting method intended to bring a builder into the design phase.

Eve Gray, director of Lane County Health and Human Services, told the board the project team has secured about $35,000,000 in capital for the stabilization center and has acquired property on International Way. Gray said the county is pursuing annexation to the city of Springfield, with an initial annexation hearing scheduled for May 18, and that a schematic design contract is underway with TVA Architects.

"We have secured about 35,000,000 for capital for this project," said Dr. Pauline Gishoji, behavioral health division manager, summarizing the project's funding status and the crisis-center model the county is using. Staff said $14,000,000 in lottery bond dollars previously approved by the board may be used only on the final site and that the team…