County building decision all about location

By Joel Miller , Joan McCalmant and Michael Stevenson

Location, location, location. While others contend it's important to reoccupy the Linn County Administrative Office Building, we contend it never was a good building for county offices. And pouring upward of $12 million into it (as the board of supervisors is considering) is not wise.

Why No. 1? Location. The Administrative Office Building once was owned by Penford and from all appearances, it appears to be a part of that industrial operation as it's surrounded on three sides by Penford property. While old-timers know where the Administrative Office Building is located, most newcomers would tell you that it is not located in a logical place for a government office.

Why No. 2? Location. With train tracks on one side and a parking lot for semi trucks on the other, employees working inside the Administrative Office Building have to contend with noise that interrupts their work. While we applaud the fact that the railroad bridge is open for traffic and we hope that Penford remains a successful business, our business is to deliver government services. Noise interrupts our workflow and makes us less efficient.

Why No. 3? Location. We did not have enough parking at the Administrative Office Building before the flood. The new plans will add more employees and a basement full of conference rooms. While those conference rooms will be used by employees, the point of adding more conference rooms is to allow for more public meetings - more public access - with the same number of parking spaces. While others' continue to contend that we have ample parking, we disagree. Forget to renew your license plates or pay your property taxes and wait until the last minute, shame on you. Arrive at the Administrative Office Building and find no place to park, shame on us. Want to vote absentee at the auditor's counter, good for you. Arrive at the building and find no place to park, shame on us. About 13,000 voters voted at the auditor's counter in Westdale Mall during the 2008 election. In 2000 and 2004, about 4,000 voted at the Administrative Office Building counter. Why so many more in 2008? Ample parking. No matter how many voters showed up, all were accommodated.

Why No. 4? Location. On June 13, 2008, the Administrative Office Building was surrounded by floodwaters and there are photos to prove it. While the city may one day have flood controls in place to keep the Administrative Office Building from flooding, why risk interrupting county services when county services are most needed, e.g., during another flood?

Why No. 5? Location. Any reputable Realtor will tell you to never put more money in your house than it could be sold for. If we spend

$12 million to remodel the Administrative Office Building, we'll never get rid of it. Who could afford it? Who would want it?

We don't want

$12 million spent to remodel the Administrative Office Building. Mitigate the building and put it back into service, but don't spend

$12 million on it.

Location, location, location. It's important.

Joel Miller is auditor, Joan McCalmant is recorder and Michael Stevenson is treasurer of Linn County.