City moves into new digs

The old building, which is still the police station, faces problems

By Matthew Graham

The Oregon City News, Nov 10, 2009, Updated Nov 10, 2009 (2 Reader comments)

matthew graham / oregon city news

The new Oregon City City Hall.

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Leaving behind the cramped building at 320 Warner Milne Road, with trailers parked out back acting as workspaces, Oregon City employees on Tuesday moved into the renovated McLean Building at the top of Singer Hill.

Mayor Alice Norris said the move is the “most exciting thing to happen in Oregon City this year” and a turning point for the city.

“This is a huge positive step for the whole community,” she said. “Many people say that what a community thinks about itself shows in its city hall, so the city has raised the bar here.”

With police, the municipal court and code and parking enforcement staying at the old City Hall, the move will give city employees much more breathing room.

Norris also said the move adds to the city’s goal of sustainability.

“There’s nothing more sustainable than a recycled building,” she said. “And it’s so close to services that (employees) can do the ‘walk more, drive less’ mantra that we’ve been preaching.”

She also said it will better serve residents.

“And then for the public besides the money we’ve saved there and moving to a very revitalizing area – the lack of confidentially in the old lobby was very (problematic), so there’ll be no more babies and inmates in shackles commingling,” she said.

The city’s urban renewal commission bought the McLean Clinic last year for about $6.5 million and was budgeted to spend about $2.4 million renovating it for city use.

The McLean Clinic, at 406 7th St., was built in 1936 by Edward McLean, a local physician who helped found the Oregon City Hospital.