Jackson County commissioners on Wednesday approved an intergovernmental agreement with the city of Central Point that allows for the shared use of a planned 120,000-square-foot multi-use pandemic response center on The Expo grounds.

The contract will come with an estimated $859,057 in annual revenue to the county — paid through a lease with Central Point — for an initial 35-year term.

The county will operate the facility, estimated to cost $60 million, as a hub for managing regional emergencies while the city utilizes a third of it as a long-awaited community center.

The facility will include a large commercial kitchen and shower facilities, and could be used for everything from aid distribution to vaccination clinics to temporary shelter. The need for a centralized response center, county officials said, was made clear during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the Almeda and South Obenchain fires that occurred the same year.

For non-emergency use, the facility will provide overflow space for Expo activities as well as a location for sporting events and other large events. The main floor has eight full-size basketball courts, two of which will be used for Central Point after-school programs, community learning workshops and activities.

County commissioners voted unanimously to move forward in partnership with the city on the project, which Commissioner Dave Dotterrer called “an important community project for our valley” for emergency use, such as mass sheltering, and as a community resource during non-emergency times.

Commissioner Rick Dyer called the project “a very innovative way of creating a great facility for both our jurisdictions.”

Funding for the project was approved as part of the county’s annual budget process in June. The county will use a combination of $39,046,207 from the federal American Rescue Plan Act and approximately $21 million in general fund reserves.

The project design came from ORW Architecture, which was granted a $3.8-million contract last February. The city of Central Point, which plans to share construction costs, pitched in $1.1 million, roughly 30% of the design cost.

Denise Krause, the Democratic nominee for a Jackson County commissioner seat in the upcoming November election, stood to speak during public comment. She was told that members of the public could only speak on non-agenda items. Since the pandemic response project was on the agenda, said was told she could speak to commissioners about the project at a future meeting.

In a message to the Rogue Valley Times after the meeting, Krause said she had hoped to discuss her concerns that the county had put ARPA funds toward “just a big building” when other communities used ARPA funds for projects such as affordable housing, childcare programs, food bank investments and water conservation projects.

Ryan DeSautel, facilities director for the county, said the project would provide for a range of emergency and recreational uses and would be a “positive investment in the community.”

DeSautel said a more accurate contract amount, for the city’s annual contribution, would be determined after construction. Commissioners approved a $25,000 contract with Adroit in January and an addendum — $218,000 for the initial groundwork — on Wednesday. DeSautel said that bringing the contractor onboard early ensures a more accurate cost estimate and saves money on the project. He said groundwork would begin immediately after the Jackson County Fair, set for July 16-21.

Central Point City Administrator Chris Clayton said the city finalized its own intergovernmental agreement for the project in June. He said a community center has been a goal of the city since 2007, when citizens identified such a facility on a list of priorities.

Clayton said the city, which will use urban renewal funds for its portion of the project, will get more bang for its buck by partnering with the county on it.

“We’re going to have a much larger community center than we would have been able to offer to the community now, because the county is willing to partner with us,” Clayton said.

“The county is getting a pandemic and emergency relief center, which we’ve learned these last few years is vital … The Expo is getting a mechanism to create stable revenue. I think this is a victory for everyone involved.”