Washington County Public Services Building Seismic Retrofit Project

For Immediate Release: Friday, January 06, 2017

Seismic Retrofit Construction at Washington County Public Services Building

After more than a year of planning, Washington County is gearing up to begin a two-year construction project to ensure that the Charles D. Cameron Public Services Building (PSB) will withstand a major Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake. Construction will begin in early 2017 and is expected to continue through 2018.

The work is necessary to protect life safety and allow for the PSB to serve as a base of operations for countywide response and recovery efforts following a catastrophic earthquake. Previous engineering studies concluded that the building's structural frame and internal systems would fail without the upgrades. In addition to the seismic retrofit, the project also incorporates water mitigation work in the basement and upgrades to critical building systems, including HVAC, lighting and security.

The County has contracted with Portland-based SERA Architects and JE Dunn Construction to assist with design and management of this challenging, multi-phased process. Due to the length and complexity of the undertaking, and the level of disruption that will occur, the project will be divided into two phases. Phase one will focus on the north wing of the building and the south wing will be completed in phase two. During phase one, those departments and services previously located in the north wing of the building will be temporarily relocated into alternate, nearby spaces during construction. The moves will occur in phases as well, according to the approximated schedule listed in the table below. 

Phase One
Several county offices will temporarily move out of the north wing of the Public Services Building, including the Board of Commissioners, County Administrative Office, Community Engagement, County Counsel, County Auditor and Assessment and Taxation. The south wing of the building, which houses Health and Human Services, Support Services (including Human Resources and Finance) and Land Use and Transportation, will remain operational and open to the public during phase one. The first floor cafeteria and auditorium are closed during phase one construction. Most weekly meetings of the Washington County Board of Commissioners will be held in the nearby Hillsboro Civic Center. For a complete schedule of Board meetings, including location, go to http://www.co.washington.or.us/BOC/Meetings/board-meeting-schedule.cfm.

Phase Two
When the north wing is complete, most of the remaining occupants of the south wing will then relocate to the finished north wing to allow for phase two of construction. Departments and programs originally housed in the north wing will remain in their relocated space until the project is complete in late 2018.

To obtain additional information, confirm current locations, or to get specific directions, please contact the departments directly or call Washington County Facilities and Parks Services at 503-846-8715. Maps and directional signs will be posted around the downtown Hillsboro campus to help the public find their way.

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