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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAGENDA REPORT 1994 0427 CC ADJ ITEM 11BJ _.._ !2 City of Moorpark - --- Agenda Report 20 � TO: The Honorable City Council. FROM: Richard Hare, Deputy City Manager, y 2 DATE: April 11, 1994 (CC Mtg. 4/20/94) -, - SUBJECT: Consider Appropriation for Construction of office Space. Background At the City Council meeting of March 16, 1994, staff requested an appropriation for a temporary office building to be located north of City Hall. Staff recommended deferral of the item to allow review of other options. The City Council was concerned that the investment of almost $200,000 for temporary office space could be better utilized as part of a permanent solution for additional office space. Staff was directed to prepare estimates for the construction of expanded office space. Over the last three weeks, staff has received rough estimates from various contractors as well as, interviewed three architects regarding potential costs for a site plan and development of a City Hall facility. It has been the position of the City Council that City Hall be located in the downtown area. All options have been developed with this desire in mind. Staff met with the Budget and Finance Committee on April 13, 1994, to discuss the options available to the City. The recommendations contained in this report conform to the Committee's position. Current Office Space The City currently has approximately 7,600 sq. ft. of office space which includes the City Hall building, Annex (trailer), and Conference Room which is attached to the Community Center. Other offices are located in the Community Center and Senior Center for the Operations and Maintenance Supervisor and Senior Coordinator respectively. One of the Recreation Supervisor positions will be housed at the AVCP Recreation Center. Presently, record storage is not adequate and many records are stored off -site. There is no electricity, environmental control, or lights, where the records are currently stored, which makes retrieval of documents difficult: and could compromise the condition of the records. The configuration of offices in City Hall and the Annex have been laid out incrementally, as staff has been added by using movable partitions. The use of partitions has been extensive in the City Hall building. Originally, the building was designed for nineteen work areas, including eight enclosed offices, a copy room, computer room, and eleven work areas in the central floor area. Today, we have twenty work areas in the central area, (instead of eleven) and nine work areas (instead of eight) in the enclosed areas. There has been similar congestion in the Annex. In addition to twelve work areas, all of the flat plans are being stored in the Annex. There is also a small meeting room which doubles as a work area for visiting auditors for various periods throughout the year. Future Office Needs As noted, if the City's staff size did not grow at all, the current City Hall and Annex would marginally accommodate all personnel. There would however be a need for 1,000 sq. ft for adequate record storage and an area for researching records. Additionally, the City does not have a functional Emergency Operation Center (EOC) where emergency activities can be coordinated separate from the day -to -day activities of the City. Consideration has been given to possibly expanding the Finance division by another three positions by 1996, as well as providing building and safety and engineering services at the same location as City Hall. The provision of a police community service office was also part of the original plan of City Hall. These unmet needs are significant, and there may be future needs which are unknown. Federal and state programs frequently require local government implementation or regulation and could force the City to add staff. For example, in the past such mandates as AB939 Solid Waste Reduction Requirements necessitated the hiring of an additional Management Analyst. On -site Option It appears there are several alternatives when considering an expansion for additional office space. First, either the expansion should remain on the current site, or go off -site. If City Hall remains on -site, it could either be a new stand alone City Hall or an expansion of the existing building. If it is to be a stand alone City Hall, the Annex could remain where it currently is and be used as a meeting or classroom facility or moved for another use, such as public works and parks maintenance. The current City Hall could be used as a teen center or other use. The stand alone City Hall could be built on the north end of the property or on the southwest corner. All of the architects agree that the property is very small for intense use, and irregularly shaped in relation to existing building location and topography, therefore, the building would have to be two or three stories high. It would also require an additional sixty -seven (67) parking spaces based on a 20,000 sq. ft. building with parking at one space per 300 sq. ft. A stand alone City Hall. on -site or off -site has the advantage of not interrupting current operations during construction unless the Annex has to be moved. It is estimated that moving the Annex would cost $25,000.. The $25,000 would include the following: A) $15,000 for moving the structure; B) $5,000 for preparation of the new site and clean -up of the old site; and, C) $5,000 for moving office furnishings and equipment. The construction cost of a new City Hall could be from $120 to $175 per sq. ft., exclusive of land costs, and depending upon site preparation, construction material, and electrical wiring. The parking solution on this site could also add a great deal to the costs. For budget purposes, it is estimated that the total cost of the project could be as high as 3,15 to 4 million dollars. On -site Expansion of City Hall If this option is selected, the current building can be expanded to the east or the northeast, without requiring the relocation of the Annex. If the building is expanded to the north, the $25,000 cost of relocating the Annex would apply. The construction costs would be reduced by 33 percent if the current City Hall is expanded to be between 2.3 to 2.5 million dollars. The Budget and Finance committee favored the development of a new City Hall building in the southwest corner of the Civic Center property, if the decision is made to stay on -site. The use of the current City Hall as a teen or recreation center of some kind and use of the Annex as an additional classroom or meeting room was viewed as a desirable alternative Remaining on -site may not be the best option because of the space limitation for construction and parking. There is also a conflict in the southwest corner with additional space required for library expansion and library parking, which uses all of the remaining site except the northwest section of the property north of City Hall. City Hall Off -site Building a City Hall off -site would also allow the use of the current City Hall and the Annex as a teen center and meeting rooms and /or other uses. It would however add land costs. A 20,000 sq. ft. facility could be constructed on a one acre parcel providing an appropriate landscaping buffer, parking in excess of the base requirements, and space for building expansion in case additional services or functions are added over the next decade. Land costs are estimated between $8 to $14 per sq. ft., thereby increasing the costs of a new City Hall by $610,000. Off -site Leasing or Purchase of Additional Office Space All of the local commercial centers have been contacted. Full - service leases run between $1.00 to $1.86 per sq. ft. per month. Only one office building has been identified at this time with 14,000 sq. ft. available. The rest have less than 5,000 sq. ft. available. The Redevelopment Agency has two 1,800 sq. ft. locations, but each would require between $20,000 to $25,000 in renovation costs to be useable (VCMC building /Santa Barbara Savings building). Use of these sites would allow a delay in the construction of a new or expanded facility. However, it has the disadvantage of not having all City offices at one location. This use should only be on an interim basis for this reason. Use could also be coordinated with an expanded service such as the proposed store front police operation and provide access throughout the normal business day for the public. The Budget and Finance Committee viewed the lease of these properties as temporary solutions The purchase of a facility was however considered a viable option, if the purchase price presents a more cost effective solution and Redevelopment /Economic Development, and other City goals can be met as well. Architects' Proposals Staff interviewed several architectural firms to receive their input regarding a project of this size. The estimated costs for their services range from $5,000 to $30,000 depending upon the scope. Essentially, they recommend preparation of a site master plan, programming future office requirements of the City, preparation of alternatives, and finally, development of the master plan. 4 Interim Solution for an Emergency OReration Center (EOC) In order to meet the immediate need for an EOC, staff and the Budget and Finance Committee recommend modification of the Citrus Room. We have already ordered a storage bin for emergency supplies which can be placed behind the Community Center. The main phone panel is also located near the Citrus Room in the Community Center, which will reduce the cost of installing dedicated phone lines. Cabinets for storage of additional supplies can be added to the room to make it more functional. The cabinets can be used for general storage when the EOC is relocated. summary The expansion of City Hall or construction of a new facility either on -site or off -site requires immediate steps to meet the current needs of the City. The steps include: A) The modification of the Citrus Room for use as an EOC; and, B) Further investigation of on -site and off -site options and costs. Recommendation Staff and the Budget and Finance Committee recommend that the City Council take the following actions: 1) Authorize modification to the Citrus Room for use as an EOC using the funds currently available in Administrative Services (01.4.117.629); 2) Assign the Budget and Finance Committee to investigate the financial and budget impacts of constructing, leasing or buying required office space; and, 3) Appropriate $2,500 from the General Fund to Administrative Services for professional services (01.4.117.641) related to the investigation of the alternatives noted above C: \WPWIN60 \CC.REP \CITYCC.WPD 5