Clackamas County residents will soon have a safe and secure place to seek justice.
Construction of a much-needed replacement county courthouse is underway on the county’s Red Soils campus in Oregon City. It will open in 2025. The project will generate hundreds of local jobs and business opportunities and not require any new taxes.
Built in 1936, the current courthouse was designed to serve a population of less than 50,000 and can no longer adequately serve a population of 420,000 that continues to grow. The current courthouse is functionally obsolete, poses significant safety risks and contributes to delays in justice.
The state-of-the-art replacement courthouse will mark the first time in Oregon history that a courthouse is delivered through a public-private partnership (P3), and will provide significantly more room and security for courthouse employees and visitors
A P3 involves collaboration between a government agency and a private sector company to build large infrastructure projects such as a courthouse.
After a highly-competitive and transparent bidding process, Clackamas County selected Fengate PCL Progress Partners (FP3) to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain the replacement courthouse over a 30-year period.
The FP3 consortium is comprised of:
- Developer: Fengate Asset Management
- PCL Investments Inc.
- Design-Build Contractor: PCL Construction Services Inc.
- Services Provider: Honeywell
- Design Services: DLR Group
Fengate, the consortium lead, has developed critical infrastructure since 2006. Combined, the consortium companies have participated in more than 100 successful P3 projects worldwide, including construction of more than 40 courthouses.
The county’s comprehensive analyses of alternatives revealed the P3 approach to be the most cost-effective, lowest-risk plan. The county will make fixed payments over 30 years.
FP3 is required to reinvest in the replacement courthouse to ensure that it has many remaining decades of life after the contract expires. The county, which owns the courthouse during all phases of the project, will not make any payments until the building is ready for occupancy.
In addition to benefitting the people who use will it regularly, the courthouse project will also help boost the local economy. The design-and-build funds for the project will be spent over the next three years, creating hundreds of local jobs with competitive wages and opportunities for local labor and suppliers.
Fengate is also committed to hiring local disadvantaged, minority, and women-owned businesses, as well as service-disabled veterans’ businesses and small businesses in the community.
The current courthouse is no longer adequate to meet our needs
Earthquake Risks
A 2015 seismic evaluation found the existing courthouse has numerous structural deficiencies. Soil tests indicate the ground under the building could liquefy during an earthquake. The courthouse is currently 3 feet from the Willamette River and cannot be seismically retrofitted or modified to modern standards.
Safety Concerns
There are significant safety concerns due to failing building systems. Mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems are functionally obsolete and in some cases beyond repair.
Security Challenges
A capacity shortage in the current courthouse highlights the need for separate building "circulation zones". The current courthouse lacks separate paths for victims, witnesses, and prisoners/defendants. Jurors have no sequestration room on site, increasing the risk of improper communications.
Delays in Justice
With the current courthouse, the gap between space availability and judicial needs leads to delays in justice. The existing courthouse cannot handle the demands of our population, which has led to delays in trials and incarcerations, and affected child support hearings and civil litigation trials.
We are invested and moving forward
The new courthouse will be built on the county's Red Soils Campus in Oregon City
We own the land.
Our approved campus master plan includes the new courthouse.
We proactively installed utility infrastructure.
Clackamas County’s Commitment
Building a new courthouse aligns with all five strategic priorities in Clackamas County’s Performance Clackamas plan and goals on Climate Action.
Build public trust through good government
Clackamas County provides a variety of services, and responsible use of public dollars is always at the front of our mind. We know trust begins with transparency, and we commit to providing updates during each phase of the project.
Grow a vibrant economy
In addition to jobs provided during construction, courthouses include a variety of public safety, administration, and social services careers. Courts also resolve business agreements and property transactions that help keep the economy moving.
Build a strong infrastructure
Long-term investments like the courthouse will last for decades, improving the experience for hundreds, and sometimes thousands of residents, community members, public safety officials, and victims that enter the courthouse each day.
Ensure safe, healthy, and secure communities
It’s the job of the courthouse to ensure everyone receives their day in court. Trial delays, proximity between the accused and their accusers, and hallways shared by criminal defendants and the public are just a few examples of the overwhelming public safety need.
Honor, utilize, promote, and invest in our natural resources
Clackamas County views public infrastructure investments through a lens of carbon neutrality, which includes the buildings we own and operate. A new courthouse allows the county to step closer to carbon neutrality by pursuing climate friendly building materials like cross-laminated timber and carbon neutral energy resources like solar power.
Courthouse FAQ
Resources
- #ClackCo Courthouse Industry Day Webinar, recorded July 7, 2021
- 2020 Legislative Report
- 2019 Legislative Report (pg. 10–12; 74–85)
- 2017 Legislative Report (pg. 13–14; 51–71; 131–142)
- Final Report: National Center for State Courts
- Mass Timber Courthouse Designs funded by the Wood Innovation Grant
- Red Soils Master Plan
