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03/03/1994 CITY COMMISSION SPECIAL WORK SESSION March 3, 1994 The City Commission of the City of Clearwater met in a special work session at City Hall in the large conference room, Thursday, March 3, at 5:02 p.m., with the following members present: Rita Garvey Mayor/Commissioner Arthur X. Deegan, II Vice-Mayor/Commissioner Richard Fitzgerald Commissioner Sue A. Berfield Commissioner Fred A. Thomas Commissioner Also present: Elizabeth M. Deptula Interim City Manager William C. Baker Acting Assistant City Manager Dean Rowe Stewart Donnell Cynthia E. Goudeau City Clerk Donnell Consultants, Inc. in association with Rowe Architects, Inc. submitted five concepts for construction of a new City Hall. The concepts are attached to these minutes as Exhibit A. Mr. Donnell and Mr. Rowe reviewed the concepts. Concept A1 for a 70,000 square foot Annex on the Bilgore site is estimated to cost $9,180,000 excluding landscaping, moving expenses, etc. Mr. Rowe indicated the garage could be moved and enlarged if combined with the proposed Police Department. He stated if the City Commission Chambers are left in the existing City Hall, a fire stair has to be constructed from the Chamber at a cost of $100,000. Concept A2 for a 90,000 square foot Annex on the Bilgore site with a 400 car garage is estimated to cost $11,290,000 excluding landscaping, moving expenses, etc. Mr. Baker indicated if the existing City Hall were leased or provided other revenue generating uses, that income could be a deduction from the cost estimate. Concept B for a 70,000 square foot City Hall consolidated on the bluff site with the parking below the bluff would require a referendum. The cost estimate for this project is $9.5 million excluding landscaping, moving expenses, etc. Mr. Rowe indicated an alternative to this concept would be to construct a two story office building with a larger footprint. Due to building on a slope, costs would increase. Ms. Deptula questioned if the garage would be even with the bluff. It was indicated it would not be and there would be a need to move people up the hill. Commissioner Fitzgerald questioned if that cost had been factored. Mr. Rowe indicated it had not. Mayor Garvey questioned whether there was an elevator or not if it was more economical to build more levels on a garage. Messrs. Rowe and Donnell indicated it would not be. Concept C1 for a 70,000 square foot building on the Kravas site and an additional two levels of parking to the Garden Avenue Garage is estimated to cost $9,065,000 excluding landscaping, moving expenses, etc. Mr. Rowe indicated the site would be tight. Only 25% of the garage is now used. Concept C2 for a 90,000 square foot building on the Kravas site and an additional two levels of parking to the Garden Avenue Garage is estimated to cost $10,345,000 excluding landscaping, moving expenses, etc. Commissioner Berfield questioned why the estimates for building on the Kravas property were lower. It was indicated this is due to using the existing Garden Avenue Garage spaces. Commissioner Deegan questioned if the estimates are the same for the 90,000 square foot buildings on the Bilgore and Kravas sites, why the 70,000 square foot buildings estimates differ. Mr. Donnell indicated there are subtle difference between the two building concepts. Commissioner Deegan questioned if the lowest estimate was for the 70,000 square foot building on the Kravas lot. Mr. Rowe indicated it was. Commissioner Fitzgerald questioned using the Garden Avenue Garage when hopes are to have a revitalized Downtown with a demand for parking. Mayor Garvey expressed concerns regarding using the Kravas site since the parking lot had been developed to provide visible street parking. Mr. Rowe stated he felt it would be a disservice to the area to construct the building on the Kravas site and use the Garden Avenue Garage. He suggested there may be some savings possible if the City Hall and Police Department projects are combined. Commissioner Thomas questioned the cost comparison for a two story building. Mr. Donnell indicated it would cost a little less. He explained with a "fatter" building, an atrium would add to the cost. He stated there would also be more roof area. He stated the most efficient configuration would be a circle, however, it does cost more. Commissioner Thomas questioned if the comment regarding saving money by combining with the Police Department would be that essentially two similar buildings would be constructed and a garage added. Mr. Donnell indicated this was, in general terms, the theory. Commissioner Thomas stated, in his view, it was more economical to build the Annex along with the Police Department and a garage. He indicated he liked the concept of a four story office building with a park surrounding it on the Bilgore site. Commissioner Berfield questioned if building a four story office building and two story Police Department would save money. Commissioner Thomas indicated there could then be a park like setting around both buildings and they would both be more attractive. He felt this was less expensive than all of the other options. Mr. Rowe and Mr. Donnell indicated the only problem would be a possible bridge over the railroad track which they did not particularly like. Mr. Donnell questioned the buildings looking the same. He indicated this was not necessarily a desired concept. Mr. Donnell indicated he was trying to say that savings on building City Hall and the Police Department would be realized if the precast concrete for both buildings were the same. If they were different, there would be no savings. Mr. Baker questioned if the Police Department and City Hall were rolled into one package if there would be savings. Mr. Donnell indicated there would be some but not a great deal. He stated there would still need to be supervision in both buildings. Mayor Garvey suggested the current City Hall could be leased to a non-profit organization who would be responsible for upgrading the facility. Commissioner Thomas questioned Messrs. Rowe and Donnell if the most efficient way to accomplish the City Hall project was to build the Police Department and City Hall together, as a combination package. Messrs. Rowe and Donnell indicated it would be most efficient to locate the entire project on the Bilgore site. Mr. Donnell felt the current City Hall would function as a good Chamber of Commerce building. Mr. Rowe agreed the Chamber of Commerce could be placed on the third floor of City Hall while the bottom two floors could be used for an art or history gallery. Commissioner Fitzgerald felt the critical factor was how this project would impact citizens over the long haul. Mr. Rowe indicated they are just beginning their study of the program for the Police Department, currently estimated to need 60,000 to 70,000 square feet. He stated they are looking at tieing the projects together. The Emergency Operation Center will be in the new Police facility. Mayor Garvey questioned accessibility to the facilities. Peter Yauch, Traffic Engineer, indicated traffic can access the location from three streets. He stated Myrtle Avenue is a good north/south thoroughfare. Commissioner Fitzgerald questioned the railroad's impact on the this project. Mr. Rowe indicated there was not much of an impact. Commissioner Thomas indicated he had been told heard three trains use the track per 24-hour period. Mr. Baker indicated he wanted to suggest another alternative. He stated currently Rowe and Donnell are the City's Consultants and Project Manager. He stated the City will still require an Architect and Contractor. He said a new law allows the project manager to become the architect. If only a Contractor needs to be hired, he believed the City would save money. Commissioner Thomas stated he thought Rowe and Donnell were the consultants on the front side and did not know they would be used beyond this stage. Mr. Baker indicated an Architect and a Contractor will still be needed. Commissioner Thomas questioned Rowe and Donnell being the Project Managers. Commissioner Fitzgerald stated this procedure raises the question of hiring a Supervisor of the Architect when they are the Architect. Again, Commissioner Thomas said he thought Messrs. Rowe and Donnell were only hired by the City until the City decided what it wanted to do. Mr. Donnell indicated the design/build concept had been pursued from the start of this project and Rowe and Donnell would continue in a project management capacity. Commissioner Thomas requested the Competitive Consultants Negotiation Act be reviewed for revision before this project is negotiated. Mr. Baker indicated what he just described can be negotiated. Ms. Deptula indicated staff would return to the Commission with these options for further discussion and a decision on March 17, 1994. The meeting adjourned at 5:59 p.m.