Eugene officials nix plans for seismic upgrades to city hall

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - The Eugene City Council tabled a proposal that would have added expensive seismic upgrades and private offices to City Hall.

The Register-Guard reports (https://is.gd/do8gSH ) that on Wednesday councilors approved the design of the planned four-story building while eliminating some of the more costly upgrades.

Earlier this month project manager Mike Penwell said the proposed project would cost between $24 million and $25 million, more than $6 million above the $17.85 million budget the council authorized in late 2014. The high cost was attributed to rising construction costs and inflation was well as the seismic upgrades and individual offices.

Penwell says it is unclear if dropping those upgrades will scale back the project’s price.

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Information from: The Register-Guard, https://www.registerguard.com