QuickTake:

No fencing has been installed yet, but Eugene has moved forward with the project in anticipation of a new federal security fence blocking a stretch of the existing sidewalk at the building, a site often used for protests.

City workers on Monday, April 27, began installing a temporary walkway adjacent to the Eugene Federal Building in response to potential fencing at a site of frequent protests over immigration enforcement.

The city’s new “temporary pedestrian access route” is being installed near the southeast corner of Sixth Avenue and Pearl Street in place of parking spots on Pearl Street, the city’s Public Works department said in a news release. 

Work crews Monday morning could be seen with concrete barriers as traffic was reduced to one lane southbound on Pearl Street.

Police Chief Chris Skinner in February said federal authorities planned to install fencing for the purpose of “helping to better articulate, kind of, the spaces where the protesting can or should occur.”

No fencing has yet been installed, but city officials in a news release Monday said federal authorities have said they intend to install “temporary security fencing around the building, including on this short stretch of sidewalk, which is federal property.”

The city has no legal authority to prevent the federal government from closing that stretch of sidewalk, according to a release from the city manager’s office.

The city’s news release stated that “concrete barriers will separate sidewalk users from travel lanes, and new asphalt ramps will allow safe transitions between the sidewalk and the street surface.”

Public Works Public Affairs Manager Marion Suitor Barnes told Lookout Eugene-Springfield that work to create the pedestrian walkway was expected to begin and finish on Monday. The cost of the project is about $20,000, funded through the city’s road fund, she said.

The city is reviewing the federal government’s permit application to close part of the right-of-way in order to install the fencing. If approved, the work hours for the installation will fall between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., and between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m., Suitor Barnes said. The new walkway is a public right-of-way, meaning protesters can legally gather there for demonstrations, she added.

The Eugene Federal Building for many years has hosted protests of various kinds. The site houses federal agencies, including the IRS and also a field office for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Last summer, frequent protests began against immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump.

Eugene police declared a riot Friday, Jan. 30, after reports of damaged windows and a building “breach,” though a review of Eugene police video by the city’s Police Auditor found no evidence of anyone entering the building.

Large amounts of tear gas also were deployed by federal officers Jan. 30, and also Jan. 31, while some chemical irritants were used Jan. 27, during protests.

Exact plans for the fencing have not been disclosed by the General Services Administration, the federal agency providing building services and property management for sites like the Eugene Federal Building.

In response to questions from Lookout, a GSA spokesperson said:

“GSA is installing a temporary security barrier along the perimeter of the Federal Building at 211 East 7th Avenue in Eugene. This measure is necessary to ensure the continued safety and security of the building occupants and the facility itself.”

Correspondent Grace Chinowsky contributed to this article.