Sweet Home has been ranked as the number two site for a new Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, officials learned last week.
Salem is the number one choice of the committee charged with studying potential sites and making the recommendation to the Oregon legislature.
Property in Salem is already own by the Department of Corrections and lies just south of the state prison and west of Western Baptist College.
The news was met with skepticism by members of a local committee that has been promoting siting the facility in Sweet Home on property owned by Willamette Industries.
“I believe the criteria used to rank the final four sites (Salem, Sweet Home, Monmouth, Scappoose) is flawed,” said councilman Jim Gourley. “I think the criteria was flawed to benefit the Salem site.”
Gourley said the Salem site, despite already being state owned, will cost more to develop than the Sweet Home site. At a minimum, he said, there is a $3.5 million savings if the facility were located in Sweet Home.
“In addition to the money issue for taxpayers, what ever happened to the state trying to help timber depressed communities diversify?” Gourley asked.
Public works director Mike Adams reviewed the nearly 20 page report that listed point ratings for each of the finalist communities and came up with a list of 16 questions and concerns about the rating criteria and other issues.
For example: “Cost of site preparation. How is Sweet Home ranked so low compared to Salem? What criteria were used for this ranking value?”
and…”For the Sweet Home site, length of clean up time is listed as risk. Compared to what? Salem has issues also. Why is this not a listed risk for the Salem site?”
Local business owner Jack Legg said he found numerous issues with the report in addition to the money differential.
“Salem was ambivalent to getting this,” Legg said. “Salem doesn’t need it and couldn’t care less if they got it.”
The committee plans to spend Wednesday in Salem visiting House and Senate members in an effort to educate them about the reasons they believe Sweet Home is the best site for the new academy.
The DPSST cited the following risks associated with the Sweet Home site:
1. Cost attributed to environmental clean up is unknown at this time.
2. 30 acres currently leased to Santiam Forest Products.
3. Length of time it would require to clean up the site.
4. Access to site in the winter could be hindered due to bad weather over the Santiam Pass (Highway 20).
5. Location/commuting distance from other communities.
6. Facility support services availability.
7. Located in close proximity to downtown business and residential areas.
8. Phase-in scenarios would be limited due to distance from existing location in Monmouth.
9. Labor market for public safety professionals is limited.
10. Relocation costs for staff.
11. Long-term operating costs.
12. Loss of instructors if site is chosen.
13. Loss of staff and immediate and long-term cost for replacement of staff.
Risks associated with the Salem site were:
1. Cost of off-site infrastructure.
2. Some city officials may not advocate for another state agency locating in Salem.
3. Department of corrections willingness to allow use of existing sewer capacity.
4. Cost of property.
Local committee members said they also took issue with placing ranking on whether staff members want to move or drive to a new location.
When an industry relocates, it seldom determines that move based on whether current staff want to move, committee members noted.
They also noted that the survey of staff showed that only 49% of instructors and 75% of staff responded.
Senator Mae Yih and Rep. Jeff Kropf have shown solid support for the Sweet Home effort, City Manager Craig Martin said. “They have worked hard to get the facility to come to Sweet Home,” Martin said.