City manager says project is on time and possibly even under budget

Molalla’s City Council was recently treated to an update on the new Molalla Police station project.

Jason Bragg, project engineer for P&C Construction, was on hand at a recent council meeting to talk about where the project is, and where it’s heading. Bragg told the council that the project “has reached a major milestone,” and that it’s “officially moving into the finishing stages of construction.”

He said that with all the structural components now fully completed, crews are transitioning their focus to detailed interior and exterior finishes.

“The project has entered this exciting phase, marking a significant step forward toward delivering a completed, modern facility for the Molalla community,” said Bragg.

The project carries a projected budget of just over $22 million, with $16 million of that coming from a bond passed by Molalla residents. The police facility will be a 17,832-square-foot building sitting on a 1.6 acre site at the location of the old bowling alley off 150 Grange Ave.

City Manager Dan Huff said that “Our new police facility project is currently slightly ahead of schedule and right on budget, if not under our budget projections. We should know more where we stand budget-wise in the next few months, but we believe we will be projecting under budget. We began construction with a mid-to-late December completion date and we continue to be right on schedule.”

Huff said there were many reasons for the smooth project process, but pointed to three key aspects to its success: “We have excellent architects who listened to us throughout design; we have an excellent contractor who has listened to us throughout construction; and we (City of Molalla ) have paid very close attention to this project from the beginning and generally opt for frugality and substance.”