The City Council Chamber has recently been fitted with a new dais, which is a raised platform or seating area for City Council members, and it barely cost the city anything.
City Manager Kelcey Young explained that the Douglas fir wood for the new dais not only reflects the city’s history, but was gifted by Linn County Parks and the dais was made entirely by the city’s Public Works team.
The dais is in three sections on wheels and features live edging, a shiny coat of epoxy and glimpses of what Young termed “Sweet Home green” epoxy that was used to fill in gaps.
“I think it’s impressive,” Mayor Susan Coleman said. “I think our Public Works staff is so skilled.”
Councilors noted the former dais had broken drawers and the seating spaces were tight, but they would like to consider angling the new sections so they can see each other better.
According to Public Works Assistant Director Greg Springman, the dais – as well as a bench now seated in front of City Hall – was handmade from scratch by three city staff: Park Lead Sean Heggie, Operations Manager Dominic Valloni and Mechanic Lead Tommy Roby. He said it took them more than four months to slab the wood, mill it, dry it, and sand and fill it.
“They really were all hands-on and I think they’re glad that they’re done,” he told the Park and Tree Committee during its June 19 meeting.
“It saved us so much money to have them do it,” Mayor Coleman said. “They were quoting out over $10,000 for one of these things.”
The only costs to the city that Springman could determine included finishing materials and labor.
Young said a dais like that would normally cost “tens of thousands of dollars,” and the bench a few thousand dollars, but by using donated wood and building the furniture in-house, the cost was minimal.
The bench in front of City Hall, Young said, is a prototype for other potential benches that could be placed in parks, and perhaps even picnic tables could be built. The projects could be completed in the wintertime when responsibilities for the Public Works Department slow down.
The cost-savings would be “a tremendous boost to our community,” she said.
“It’s a potential revenue stream,” she added. “Any trees that need to be felled for safety reasons or anything along those lines, we can reuse them in our community. It also pays tribute to our milling and timber history, as well.”
“The cost to purchase these types of finished wood products for our offices or our parks is extremely expensive, lots of labor,” Springman added. “By making benches and tables in-house, we can sell (them) to the community.”
According to Springman, the former dais was “decades old and extremely dated,” and did not represent the interior of the new City Hall building.
“It’s so beautiful and it fits nicely with the new chambers,” Mayor Coleman said about the new dais.