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112805 CC WS Min . . . CITY OF SHOREWOOD CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28,2005 5755 COUNTRY CLUB ROAD COUNCIL CHAMBERS 5:45 P.M. MINUTES 1. CONVENE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION Mayor Love called the meeting to order at 5 :45 PM. A. Roll Call Present: Mayor Love; Councilmembers Callies, Lizee, Turgeon, and Wellens; Administrator Dawson; Planning Director Nielson; and Finance Director Burton Absent: Director of Public Works Brown B. Review Agenda Without objection from Council, Mayor Love proceeded with the Agenda for the meeting. 2. CITY HALL BUILDING Administrator Dawson explained Staff and BKV Group had reviewed the space standards previously presented to Council, looking for efficiencies and eliminating renovation for any offices on the lower level of the current building. Mr. Baxley, of BKV Group, had provided a summary of that information and would review it with Council this evening. The focus was to look at expanding the existing City Hall Building. Mr. Baxley stated part of the process was to review previous space assumptions for different departments and shared areas. As part of the review process a computation error for shared space requirements was identified which, when corrected, reduced the total space requirements to approximately 11,000 square feet. Mr. Baxley stated addition I renovation costs would be approximately $500,000 less than new construction costs. He reviewed the major line item costs for the addition I renovation and new construction alternatives. The renovation costs included renovation to the existing office space, lobby, and Council chambers as well as an addition of approximately 3,600 square feet. The lines of the existing building would be worked into the expansion approach. Mr. Baxley walked through simple massing models which showed the exterior look of the City Hall Building today, with an addition, and as a new building. Mr. Baxley stated the massing models shown and the costs provided are approximates. He also stated there are certain structural limitations with the existing building that must be factored in. The addition approach would allow for interior redesign of space, not quite gutting the interior but close to it. The roof, siding, windows, flooring, lighting, etc., would be replaced. . . . CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES NOVEMBER 28, 2005 Page 2 of4 In response to Councilmember Turgeon's question, Mr. Baxley stated the advantage of building new was it could be built in the most efficient way. Opportunities for positioning for long term use of the building are greater. Mr. Baxley pointed out the challenges of continuing City operations during construction should not be minimized. He stated when they compared the City's proposed addition I renovation plan to 10 - 12 other municipalities the City's space needs were in the middle. Councilmember Turgeon stated she does not agree with office sizes. She questions whether or not this plan provides for the best space utilization. She has concerns regarding the need for 11,000 square feet of space for a staff of 12 employees, a staff size she doesn't foresee growing. She does riot see any need to increase the Council. Chamber size. Turgeon stated. a contentious area for her is the lobby area; currently there is no security or privacy for the individuals working behind the counter. She does not believe there is need for more storage space when current efforts are moving the City toward digital imaging. Councilmember Wellens questioned the need for to increase the main level space by 3,600 square feet. Mayor Love agreed with Councilmember Turgeon not to increase the size of the Council Chamber. He stated the Council Chambers could be multi-purpose space - sliding walls could be installed to portion off some of the Chambers to conference room when needed. He also stated he would like Council to review the previous space study. Councilmember Turgeon has not seen great success with movable walls and maintenance of the walls is expensIve. Mr. Baxley stated a space needs assessment was done, reviewed by Council and Staff. The office space needs identified were not excessive. He does not see anyway to improve office space efficiency over the existing foundation. Mayor Love questioned whether or not there were ways to incorporate multi-purpose use into the design. Councilmember Callies stated the focus should be on what the building is going to be used for. She stated when you walk into the work area, it looks woefully inadequate and it is an unpleasant work environment. She went on to state the use of professionals to assist in determining space needs was worthwhile. Councilmember Lizee stated the enlargement of the Chamber area needs to be reviewed. The focus needs to be on providing Staff with a work environment that is conducive to doing their jobs well. Mayor Love stated the majority of the cost, approximately 77%, is construction costs, and the cost of mobilization is substantial. Council needs to be cautious not to under-build; a common complaint when visiting other Public Safety Buildings was that the buildings were under-built. Discussion ensued regarding the space needs of today and the future. Differing perspectives were presented and challenged. Administrator Dawson stated Staff has been working with BKV for a couple of years. They have identified what is reasonable for varying space needs. He stated there is a need for suitable meeting . CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES NOVEMBER 28, 2005 Page 3 of 4 space; today there is one conference room with inadequate space. He went on to say the existing working space is difficult to work in; file storage needs to be easily accessible; and the lobby is very unpleasant, unfriendly, and very disruptive to the staff. Dawson stated the Staff has scrutinized their space needs assessment. He stated the outcome of the last Council session on space was to keep the space needs within a I 0,000-11 ,000 square foot space. Further refinements can be made. Discussion ensued regarding what are the space needs for individuals that provide less than full-time services (e.g. auditors, property assessors, etc.) Councilmember Turgeon stated she would not support the proposed addition plan. Councilmember Wellens stated it may be beneficial to identify what space needs could be accommodated if the increase in square footage was reduced. Councilmember Ca1lies stated it is possible current space needs are less than needed; therefore the proposed space increase is not as disproportionate as might seem. Ensuing discussion' continued regarding the validity of the proposed space needs, where it could be refined, and what were absolute requirements. Mayor Love again'stated he thought there would be benefit to detailed review of the space needs assessment. He supports multi-purpose use for the Council Chambers. . Mr. Baxley stated he did not see how the office space could be reduced or made more efficient; the Council Chamber could be addressed. . Councilmember Turgeon suggested the possibility of off-site Council meetings. Mayor Love stated there are two problems with off-site meetings: 1) Council and the public expect quick response answers from Staff which often require they retrieve information from their office or storage; and 2) it is confusing to the public. Council agreed the space needs prioritization should be what is best for the employees. Councilmember Wellens stated he would like to see a break out of costs by ADA upgrades, Chambers, office space, etc. Administrator Dawson stated Staff scrutinized their space needs requirements and does not feel there is any excess in the stated needs. Further discussion ensured regarding the stated space requirements and the varying perspectives on what they were. Mayor Love stated he would like to see costs separated by those required to repair the deteriorating structure, and those which are a result of space needs. Council came to consensus that the previous space needs assessment should be reviewed at a December 12,2005, work session before this issue can move forward. . . . CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES NOVEMBER 28, 2005 Page 4 of 4 3. ADJOURN Lizee moved, Wellens seconded, Adjourning the City Council Work Session Meeting of November 28,2005, at 7:00 P.M. Motion passed 5/0. RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED, Christine Freeman, Recorder