Lane County Courthouse Bond Planning

Scope, Schedule & Budget: The Lane County Courthouse

The story of the Lane County courthouse is filled with twists and turns—and although the project has yet to be re-presented to voters, it demonstrates the value we bring our clients during the bond planning phase.

The county is currently operating out of a 60-year-old courthouse in dire need of replacement.

The ceilings leak, there’s no wheelchair access, and with only 15 courtrooms and 33,000 cases a year, the building can no longer accommodate the needs of the community.

Lane County commissioners proposed a new $252 million courthouse to be built on a vacant lot on downtown Eugene. The State of Oregon funded a portion the project, but there was still a large funding gap to fill. In 2019, Lane County officials asked the public to support a $154 million bond measure for construction of the new building. But lacking clear details around the size or cost of the project, the bond was overwhelmingly rejected.

Building a better bond

In exploring a second attempt at a courthouse bond, the county realized they needed a hands-on partner who could bring rigor to the planning and estimating process. Impressed with our public project experience and demonstrated ability to manage complex budgets and schedules, Klosh Group was tapped to help guide the plan for the next bond measure to success.

We began by digging into all the work done to date, including designs, estimates, and public feedback around the original bond. We also held collaborative sessions with project stakeholders to discuss roles, responsibilities, scheduling, and objectives to ensure everyone was on the same page.

Bringing the community on board

Discovering why the first bond measure failed was essential to our process. Working as an extension of the county’s Communications team, we helped draft a plan to engage the community through town halls, outreach campaigns, and polling efforts. This crucial step would allow constituents to feel like their voices had been heard.

The feedback we received made it clear: voters wanted a clear vision of what the new courthouse could be and how it would benefit the community. Leaning into our expertise around scope, schedule, and budgets, we engaged in multiple rounds of scenario planning to create a detailed bond proposal that would inspire the public’s support.