The chances of an earthquake happening in Hermiston are pretty low, but if the big one does strike in the future, the Bob Shannon Safety Center should withstand whatever Mother Nature has to offer.
That’s because the city of Hermiston recently received a $2.5 million grant to fortify the safety center in case of seismic activity.
“Emergency services are all about being ready for the worst-case scenario and that includes preparing our facilities, equipment and staff for natural disasters,” Hermiston City Manager Byron Smith said.
The grant is from the state’s Seismic Rehabilitation Grant Program which provides funding for the seismic rehabilitation of critical public buildings, particularly public schools and emergency services facilities.
Public K‐12 school districts, community colleges and education service districts are eligible for the grant program. For emergency services facilities, the emphasis is on first-responder buildings. This includes hospital buildings with acute inpatient care facilities, fire stations, police stations, sheriff’s offices, 9‐1‐1 centers, and emergency operations centers.
Eligible projects include structural improvements, architecture and engineering as well as project management.
“We saw the opportunity to ensure our local emergency responders have a functional base of operations in case of an earthquake,” Smith said.
Despite the fact that Eastern Oregon is at low risk for an earthquake, Smith said the grant money is being distributed equally across the state.
“We might be worried more about high wind risk than earthquake activity,” he said.
The building is owned by the city and is the headquarters of the Hermiston Police Department and Umatilla County Fire District #1. Built in 1971, the building’s central location near the high school gives police, firefighters and emergency responders quick access to the entire Hermiston community.
Retrofitting the safety center will cost more than the $2.5 million grant and Smith said the city will use enterprise zone funds and seek additional funding from the state. The city is currently in the design phase and won’t know the full cost until that process is complete.
Smith said the work is separate from other projects slated for the safety center. Those include adding separate sleeping quarters for female firefighters and upgrading exhaust ports in the vehicle bays. The police department will be adding more space in the former municipal court area which was made available by moving the court to the new Hermiston City Hall in early 2023.
Smith said work on retrofitting the safety center will likely get under way in mid-2024.
