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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/2/2021 Item 3a, Horn/Nelson - Staff Agenda CorrespondenceCity of San Luis Obispo, Council Memorandum City of San Luis Obispo Council Agenda Correspondence DATE: November 2, 2021 TO: Mayor and Council FROM: Matt Horn, Public Works Director Brian Nelson, Acting City Engineer VIA: Derek Johnson, City Manager SUBJECT: ITEM 3a – PUBLIC SAFETY CENTER PROGRAM AND DESIGN UPDATE Below are a series of Council posed questions and staff responses in preparation to this evening’s Study Session on the Public Safety Center Program and Design Update. The purpose of this Study Session is to provide preliminary feedback to staff on the future programming and design and pathway’s regarding a replacement Public Safety Center. This evening does not represent final approval of designs, programming , and/or use of said center. The purpose of tonight is to receive a briefing on the long history of the project, next steps, and direction from council on program and design concepts. 1) Please provide information on how the estimated 128 parking spaces needed for the new public safety center was developed. What can we do to encourage people to NOT drive to work, and therefore require fewer parking spots onsite? Parking counts were completed and incorporated in the 2021 Space Needs Assessment which is included as Attachment D of the report and shown on page 22. Parking space needs are based on the number of current and future staff as well as all associated department vehicles. As conceptualized, the proposed parking structure was sized to meet minimum needs and construction of this project would require implementation of programmatic measures to use alternative modes of transportation and reduce parking demand for future staffing levels. Sworn staff City fleet and personal vehicles were prioritized with other non-sworn staff needs. When operating the facility, priority will be placed on non-single passenger vehicle parking. It is important to note, that this site is also proposed to house the City’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC), Training, Community Room, and additional parking is required for large event or “surge capacity”. Lastly, the site offers virtually no street parking and given the nature of operations, especially in emergency operations, parking must be contained within a secured area. Item 3.a – PUBLIC SAFETY CENTER PROGRAM AND DESIGN UPDATE Page 2 2) What was considered when deciding to locate the EOC in the Public Safety Facility? Was this design modeled off other facilities? With the addition of a Community Room in this building, would that be able to serve as a Family Assistance Center in an emergency? The current EOC is within the City, at Fire Station Number 1, a building designed to withstand most emergency events. The current facility is insufficient in 2021; and is significantly deficient when full team deployment occurs. The Ludwick Community Center serves as a back up to Fire Station #1 and as a USO Center from the 1940s is also not designed for modern EOC use. Staff, in studying City EOCs, has found central location to City facilities to be the current best practice model for urbanized agencies. Staff has recommended including a new EOC in the Public Safety Center in order to collocate this facility and take advantage of construction of the new Public Safety Center. The new EOC would be designed with public space (for media briefings), operational space and appropriate break-out rooms for focused response and planning activities, and would include integrated technical support. Should the Cities EOC be compromised or in danger, a "back-up" EOC could be set up outside the City and use the County EOC or other locations in order to fully support City operations. The City’s EOC as conceptualized is not modeled after any specific jurisdictions’ facility, however this (a Public Safety Facility with an EOC) is a common industry design for municipalities similar in size. Facilities for Santa Barbara County and Paso Robles were toured and the consultant team has worked on planning, designing and building EOC’s. Santa Barbara County’s facility is a stand-alone facility that is collocated with regional fire facilities. The City of Paso Robles Public Safety building uses an EOC that is dual designed as an EOC and training room. The Paso Robles facility is in the downtown corridor and a backup facility is located near the Airport Terminal. The Community Room is an important component to the new Public Safety Center and is intended to be used more regularly and to hold community meetings on public safety and for a place for families, businesses and others to seek support during Emergency Operations. In an Emergency, a Family Assistance Center is could be established at this location or at a, County or Cal Poly facility depending on the nature and scope of the emergency. The Community Room will allow for increased City support for cooling and warming operations during inclement weather. This will also allow for facility staff to support direct service needs for the Community’s vulnerable populations during those times. Item 3.a – PUBLIC SAFETY CENTER PROGRAM AND DESIGN UPDATE Page 3 3) Have various community groups (BIPOC, GALA, etc.) been given the opportunity to weigh in on any of the design elements yet? As this is the conceptual phase of the project, community groups and public outreach and input is planned and will occur for the next step in the process. A full public engagement plan will be developed following direction so that Staff can convey the scope and program of the project. The project and building is at a early schematic level of design and the design is expected to be adjusted to meet community input on design. This Study Session is intended to check in with Council to obtain early-stage conceptual project input to ensure leadership supports the current concepts. A few notable elements as currently conceived is the provision of inclusive and equitable spaces including non-gender based “locker room”, exercise facilities, and the Community Room. 4) What is the anticipated funding plan including funding sources for this project? With the adoption of the 2021-23 Financial Plan, Council allocated the use of Measure G20 revenues in the amount of $100,000 in Fiscal Year (FY) 2021-22 and $300,000 in FY 2022-23 These funds support public outreach and the project entitlement process, including environmental review, as well as preliminary designs. Staff anticipates with the 2023-25 Financial Plan Council’s review of funding allocations for final design, permitting, and initial construction services. The current funding plan and model anticipates the construction will be debt financed. The funding model currently anticipates Measure G -20 funds will be used to support the annual debt service payments. The debt payments were integrated into the fiscal analysis of the capital program, retaining a projected $15 million of annual Measure G-20 funding for other capital needs within the community such as parks amenities, street resurfacing, and downtown improvements. This funding plan was developed based upon an evaluation by the City’s Municipal Advisor regarding the long -term funding availability and capital needs of the community. In anticipation of this funding plan, the City has worked to retain its AA+ rating with both S&P and Fitch Ratings and maintained a relatively low debt burden to date. 5) On page 129 that it notes in 2003, we had about 90 FTEs in the department. But, then, somewhere else it noted that the current department FTEs are still about 90. We have not grown at all since 2003? What number of staff is this building being built to accommodate? The Police Department currently has 90 Full Time Employees (FTE) as noted and as Community and daily populations have increased, staff has largely not changed for over 10 years. Staff continually studying appropriate staffing and programming Item 3.a – PUBLIC SAFETY CENTER PROGRAM AND DESIGN UPDATE Page 4 levels for both sworn and non-sworn employees. Growth in the number of staff is anticipated in the next 30 years. Before coming to Council with any staffing changes, the Police Department will be undertaking a long term strategic plan that incorporates the pillars of 21st Century Policing, federal and state police reports and explores other models for public safety. Currently the City is experiencing increasing call volumes for all police services, and population growth which are traditional indicators that more staff will be required in the future. As the City continues to examine a diversified response philosophy, whereby more civilian teams specializing in addressing complex and interconnected sociological issues are utilized, more space will be required the collaborative needs of police officers and field personnel. The Facility is currently designed with approximately 66 workspaces for staff, such as report writing desks, individual offices and open work stations. This is less than the total FTEs for the department as traffic and patrol officers share report writing spaces and do not require a dedicated space. 6) The current design for the men’s restroom and locker room includes accessible bathroom stalls and showers, but I didn’t see that in the women’s restroom and locker room. Is this an oversight? Are gender-neutral facilities included in the building design? The initial conceptual design started with the traditional separation of men’s and women’s restroom and locker areas. The plans however are being revised to reimagine a single, open “locker room” for all genders, that is open to the fitness area with multiple individual private changing rooms and with single accommodation restroom facilities in each, with some being ADA compliant. This design breaks down traditional barriers to inclusivity and provides a positive team atmosphere for all employees. This will provide equity for all gender identities and inclusion into locker room and fitness activities interactions, while maintaining a private space for showering and changing . No longer will employees be required to utilize gender specific department facilities. 7) What is the construction cost estimate for the new public safety facility? Based upon the current schematic design level the approximate anticipated costs are shown below and includes a market escalation for cost increases until the anticipated construction or the fifth year of the current financial plan. Please note this estimate is based upon staff’s current understanding of the project. As designs are developed, stakeholder input is received, and the project works its way through the entitlement process cost will change. While Council and the community have the ability to shape and address cost s some cost will be market driven including contractor and worker availability and supply chain issues. Item 3.a – PUBLIC SAFETY CENTER PROGRAM AND DESIGN UPDATE Page 5 Cost Breakdown for Schematic Design Building $27M Parking Structure $5.6M On-Site and Off-Site Improvements $3.4M Permits, Radio and Data Systems, Temp Facilities & Construction Contingency $5.2M Equipment and Furnishings $1.7M Construction Engineering, Management and Testing $1.4M Market Escalation (3.5 % per year) $7.7M Conceptual Project Budget: $52M 8) Please provide photos of the Palo Alto Public Safety Building exterior for comparison, see below. (8 Stories, 56,000 SQFT, $117M)