On many levels, leaders in Oregon are working to mitigate effects of the region’s next major natural disaster.

The state, for instance, is working on a 50-year resiliency plan that will enable communities to recover following a large-scale earthquake and tsunami. The also released a new earthquake response guide earlier this year.

But the offices that house PBEM and other emergency response operations are underequipped, undersized and too spread out to accommodate an effective response after a regionally significant disaster. On Wednesday, however, Portland City Council approved a $10.35 million contract for construction of a new emergency response facility.

“Portland is unique because it is one of the largest cities in the country without a dedicated, state-of-the-art facility,” said Carmen Merlo, director of PBEM. “What we’re currently using is completely inadequate.”

Happy Valley-based will break ground this spring on the new Emergency Coordination Center in outer Southeast Portland. The facility will house the daily operations of PBEM, presently in downtown, and the Portland Water Bureau‘s emergency management and security programs, which are in disconnected rooms in the 911 center on Southeast 99th Avenue.

“This is obviously a vital project to the community, and it’s huge for us,” said Corey Lohman, vice president of Emerick. “The big earthquake may come sometime, but even for any number of smaller emergencies, the current facility has been inadequate.”

During an emergency response drill conducted in 2007, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security revealed that Portland’s emergency responders would need up to two hours to get a center up and running – if buildings were still standing.

But the new facility, which will be built next to the 911 center, is designed to remain operational after a disaster.

“In a regular code building, everyone stops doing work and gets out, but (the ECC) is the complete opposite – people need to go to this building and really use it,” said Joshua Stein, project manager for , the project’s designer.

Seismic strength was considered for everything from window types to lighting fixtures, Stein said. After a major earthquake, city staffers working in the building would need to perform important tasks such as sending out disaster declarations, disseminating emergency information to the public, and providing support to city officials – so a simple design detail of desk and computer stability takes on added importance.

Sustainable design features also play a key role in the project – not only because a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold rating is being targeted, but also because the reduction in building loads will be vital in order to maintain operations if utilities were knocked out.

The stormwater collection and on-site storage as well as natural daylighting – combined with emergency generators and other structural features – will provide enough potable water, sanitation and electricity to keep the facility functioning off the grid for up to 10 days.

While the ECC is designed to perform well even in the worst circumstances, it will streamline the way the city handles more routine events like snow and ice warnings, landslides and street flooding.

Now that it has been awarded the contract, Emerick will begin work on street improvements surrounding the facility as soon as possible and perhaps start construction on the main building in the summer. The project is contracted to be done in 18 months, but Lohman expects construction to last only 12.

City Commissioner Randy Leonard, who was assigned in 2006 by former Mayor Tom Potter to help identify a site for the planned ECC, lauded the impending construction.

“This project will finally put the city emergency management operations into a secure location,” Leonard said. “But we had no idea that one of the most important features would be the added benefit of putting unemployed construction workers back to work.”

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Portland-based has received notice from the city of Portland that the firm will be responsible for construction of a new $10 million emergency response hub.

The new Emergency Coordination Center will be located at 3732 S.E. 99^th Ave. and will be home to the Portland Office of Emergency Management and the Portland Water Bureau‘s emergency and security teams.

“It’s an exciting project to be involved with, it’s a difficult project and a good client in the city of Portland and we’re excited to get going,” said Corey Lohman, vice president and division manager of the special projects group for Emerick.

Lohman said six general contractors submitted hard bids for the project after a prequalification process. Emerick’s bid was $10.35 million.

Lohman said the seven-day period to protest the city’s intention ended on Monday, and that the city will award the official contract during its Feb. 15 city council meeting.

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According to city documents, six firms submitted bids for a project to build a new Emergency Coordination Center for the city of Portland.

The 28,500-square-foot building was designed by and will be the headquarters of the Portland Office of Emergency Management and the Portland Water Bureau‘s emergency response and security teams for regular use. In the event of a major natural or man-made emergency, the ECC would be where a response would be coordinated for the city.

Bid documents slated expected construction costs to be around $11 million, but it looks as though bids came in below that amount. The six firms that responded to the city’s request for bids were , , , , and . Triplett Wellman was the low bidder with a $10,280,000 bid, which was $70,000 less than Emerick Construction‘s bid.

Triplett Wellman Vice President of Sales Nick Wellman said that his firm had not received a notice of intent to award from the city, but he knows the firm is the “apparent low bidder” on the project and would expect an official update in the coming week.

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Addenda 1 through 9 have been issued.

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Workforce Training & Hiring Requirements will apply to this project.

Documents are available online through the City of Portland, in the HSW plan room at www.bxwa.com, and at the 91��Ƶ Plan Center.

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The city of Portland has posted a request for bids for a general contractor to build the city’s new Emergency Coordination Center. Bids are due Nov. 15 and a mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held Oct. 19.

Construction costs for the 28,500-square-foot building are expected to be around $11 million. The -designed building will be constructed adjacent to the Portland Communication Center on Southeast 99^th Avenue in Portland. It will be the new headquarters of the Portland Office of Emergency Management and the water bureau‘s emergency response and security teams. The ECC will serve as the city’s response hub in the event of a major natural or man-made disaster.

After contractors go through a pre-qualification process, the contract for the project will be awarded to the lowest bidder, according to bid documents.

The meeting is Oct. 19, 1: 30 p.m. at 1120 S.W. Fifth Ave., in Portland,  second floor, room C.

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