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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/04/1991, 5 - COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT RENOVATION AND REFURNISHING II�Ipl��ll�lllll�lll�lllllllT1/ o f MEETING DATE: city Ip�uq u san UUIs osIspo JUNE 4, 1991 COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT ITEM NUMBER FROM: David F. Romero, Public Works Director. David Elliott, Administrative Analyst SUBJECT: Community Development Renovation and Refurnish nR CAO RECOMI ENDATION: By motion approve the budget amendment request transferring $252,000 from the community development department 1989/90 carryover account to the city hall renovation and refurnishing account. REPORT IN BRIEF: Since 1989 the city has renovated and refurnished about 2/3 of the city hall interior. The only portions of city hall which have not been renovated and refurnished are the non-clerical work areas of community development department downstairs. The city should complete the remainder of the remodeling work now for several reasons: ■ The city hall expansion will not proceed as quickly as hoped. ■ Most of the renovation and all of the refurnishing will not conflict with future expansion plans. ■ From the start, the downstairs areas have most needed renovation and refurnishing work. Deferring this work for another five years is not recommended. ■ The community development department can realize the flexi- bility, space efficiency and productivity now enjoyed by all i other departments at city hall. ■ The electrical renovation includes energy-saving relamping which an energy audit recommended as cost-effective. ■ Much of the renovation work (painting, carpeting, mechani- cal) includes maintenance long deferred pending a decision on the city hall expansion. There is about $350,000 available in the community development department 1989/90 carryover account which could be used to complete the needed remodeling work. BACKGROUND: The city hall renovation and refurnishing project started in 1989 to address two immediate problems. First, more than 80 employees were working in spaces which could efficiently accommodate only 55 to 65 in .the existing configura- S- t iiil,�iniil�ll►IIIIIIII11° ���IU city of san Lis oBispo NiiS COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT City Hall Renovation and Refurnishing Budget page 2 tion. There was no room for additional staff, and there was limited meeting and storage space. The city had been discussing possible city hall expansion options since 1985, and during that time the maintenance staff had deferred some long overdue repair and maintenance tasks (including recarpeting, repainting and rewiring) pending a decision on the expansion plans. The city had recently completed the 955 Morro remodeling project, which had demonstrated the space efficiency and flexibility offered by systems furniture. Staff recognized that systems furniture could provide the same benefits at city hall and could be incorporated into any future expansion project. i Second, in September 1989 a section of sprayed-on acoustical ceiling containing hazardous asbestos separated from its drywall backing and fell into the main stairwell at city hall. After consulting with representatives for the Environmental Protection Agency and asbestos abatement consultants, staff determined that all potentially hazardous asbestos ceilings should be removed and disposed of as soon as practical to avoid a recurrence of the September accident. To pay for renovating and refurnishing about 2/3 of city hall, the council budgeted $666,400 through the following actions: ■ In July 1989 it transferred $99, 100 from the ventures and contingencies account to the project account for renovating the administration/city clerk area and refurnishing 9 workstations. This money was added to another $24,300 which had been transferred from ventures and contingencies in July 1988 for renovating the city clerk area. i ■ In July 1989 it adopted the 1989/90 budget and appropriated $85,000 to the project account for refurnishing 19 worksta- tions at various locations in city hall. ■ In March 1990 it approved the mid-year budget adjustments for 1989/90 and appropriated $220,000 to the project account for asbestos abatement and refurnishing 10 workstations. ■ In July 1990 it adopted the 1990/91 budget and appropriated $238,000 to the project account for asbestos abatement and refurnishing 20 workstations. Since September 1989 the following renovation and refurnishing work has been completed for all of the upstairs and about 1/3 of the downstairs: 0 removing asbestos-laden ceilings if present IIIV�►r�►i►iu►IIIIIIIII1u ���ll City of sari L ,s OBISPO COUNCIL AGENDA REPOR'r City Hall Renovation and Refurnishing Budget page 3 ■ demolishing fixed interior walls where appropriate to gain more flexibility I ■ installing some new interior walls to create department head offices and conference rooms ■ replacing the sprayed-on asbestos ceilings with new suspen- ded ceilings or ceiling tiles i ■ replacing old lighting fixtures with energy-efficient fixtures to improve lighting levels and reduce electricity costs (simple payback through energy savings: about five years) ■ removing a 20-year accumulation of abandoned electrical, communication and computer cabling to simplify future installation and maintenance i ■ rewiring electrical circuits to balance loads and improve emergency power service ■ installing ceiling exhaust fans to improve poor ventilation i ■ repainting walls and trim to coordinate colors and refurbish surfaces which had not been painted in 8 to 16 years ■ replacing 14 year-old, worn-out carpet to improve appearance and safety ■ installing new door levers and toilet room partitions to improve disabled accessibility and satisfy building code requirements ■ installing systems furniture to more efficiently use the space available i With completion of the city hall expansion at least five years away, little of the renovation and refurnishing expense conflicts with future building plans. Expansion plans would have included the asbestos removal, cabling removal and systems furniture installation completed already. The paint and carpet specified have an expected life of 5 to 10 years, so those costs will be nearly amortized by the time the expansion might be completed. Also, the cost of lighting fixtures will be recovered through energy savings during the same period. The only construction items which might not be fully amortized before the expansion are the ceiling and wall installation, the ventilation improvements and the disabled accessibility improvements, all of which add up to about 12 percent of the project cost incurred to date. ,�}��►�i�►►Iiillllll�° ���UI city of san L,Ais oBIspo MijS COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT City Hall Renovation and Refurnishing Budget page 4 j The only areas of city hall which have not been renovated and refurnished are the non-clerical work areas of community develop- ment department downstairs, which include 30 workstations. Several questions have arisen about the necessity and desirabil- ity of completing this remaining work. i onctESM Following are some questions and answers about the downstairs remodeling work. Q: Why should the community development area be completed now? Why can't community development hold off until the city hall expansion is completed? A: From the start of this project, the downstairs areas have been the least desirable work areas at city hall. Two consulting architects have cited the unremodeled downstairs areas as substandard and unsuitable for offices in their existing condition. These areas weren't remodeled earlier because of the urgency to remove the asbestos upstairs first. Deferring improvements until completion of the city hall expansion would mean that employees would have to work under these conditions for at least another five years. Q: What makes the downstairs areas so undesirable? A: Ventilation is poor. Lighting is substandard. Natural light is non-existent. Ceiling tiles are stained and broken. Carpeting is 17 years old and has been scheduled for replacement since 1985. Paint is 9 to 17 years old. The appearance, condition and suitability of furnishings range from fair to poor. Q: When was the community development area last renovated? A: The last major renovation was completed in 1974. Ventila- tion, lighting, ceiling tiles, carpeting and most furnish- ings were installed then. Some of the remaining areas received new paint and carpet when the reception areas were renovated in 1990. Q: Does it make sense to renovate and refurnish an area that may be gutted in five years as part of the city hall expan- sion project? A: As with the work completed so far, most of the proposed work will not conflict with future building plans. If the seismic safety corrections, cabling removal and system 5�AA 11 11 I city of san L_.Is OBlspo COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT City Hall Renovation and Refurnishing Budget page 5 furniture installation were not completed now, they would have to be included in the city hall expansion project. Although some of the renovation work may have to be removed before its cost is fully amortized, staff believes that cost is reasonable in order to elevate working conditions from substandard to acceptable during the next five years. Q: Hasn't the city already budgeted the money for this work? A: In past actions the city budgeted for new furnishings at 58 out of 84 workstations at city hall. That leaves 26 pro- posed workstations for which there is no budget. Also, the city budgeted for renovation upstairs in conjunction with asbestos removal but did not budget for renovation down- stairs. Q: Why has the city taken a such a piecemeal approach to this project? A: When the project began the city understood clearly what the problems were but didn't know p precisely what the solutions might be. The necessity of solving these problems quickly and the inherent uncertainty of most remodeling projects dictated an incremental approach with adjustments along the way. Completing this project in phases and budgeting for those phases a step at a time has had three advantages: i ■ First, with the completion of each section, staff has � better understood what solutions would work best to al- leviate problems identified in the remaining sections. For example, standard systems furniture arrangements offer substantial gains in storage space. Even so, some areas needed still more storage to avoid stowing docu- ments at off-site facilities. Early in the project, staff solved this problem by specifying taller panels for some areas and stacking storage compartments one on top of the other. This solution worked well for subsequent installations and afforded even greater space efficiency. ■ Second, based on accumulated experience with completed portions of the project, staff has been in a better position to calculate overall project costs, always a tough problem with remodeling projects as compared to new construction. ■ Third, staff has been able to adjust the project to changing circumstances. When the project started, the city hall expansion was scheduled for construction in 5�5 �i�ioniii(�Illllflllhl��u��� city o f San �"IS OBISpo j COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT City Hall Renovation and Refurnishing Budget page 6 1991/92. As economic conditions pushed the construc- tion schedule farther into the future, staff realized that the city couldn't defer needed maintenance and renovation much longer and that these improvements should be included in the project budget. SELStiWC SAFETY CORRECTIONS: The study conducted by H.J. Degenkolb Associates in fall 1990 found possible structural deficiencies in some of the columns downstairs at city hall. Another engineer will be analyzing the city hall structure to determine the extent of these deficiencies and how corrections can be incorporated into the remodeling work if necessary. Preliminary estimates by Degenkolb pegged the cost of possible corrections at about $24,000. FISCAL IMPACT: I Estimated project costs for completing the community development area are: Wall and Ceiling Installation $ 33,000 Electrical Work 25,000 Mechanical Work 4,000 Cabinet and Counter Installation 4,000 Painting and Wallcovering 51000 Carpeting 41000 Disabled Accessibility 81000 Furnishings 135,000 Seismic Safety Corrections 24,000 Contingencies 10,000 $252,000 There is now about $350,000 available in the community develop- ment department 1989/90 carryover account. Staff recommends transferring $252,000 from this carryover account to the city hall renovation and refurnishing account. A budget amendment request for this transfer is attached. CONCURRENCES: Attached is a memorandum from community development department outlining its needs and concerns. attach: memo from community development department budget amendment request chrenwdimp ��LO city of san Luis oBi. NUMBER BuaCjCt amendment QcquesC REQUESTING DrEFRARTMENT FUND AMENDED .40 FUND NO. REVENUES FN nim ' ACCOUNT DESCRIPTION DEPT. OBJ. SUB-OBJ. BUROGE�T' A PRO M EEVDTS BUDGET TOTAL EXPENDITURES ACCOUNT OESCRM=TION DEPT. OBJ. SUB-OBJ. BUDR GEST A PROPOSE D S AMENDED I T d S TOTAL —C- -PURPOSE n1 0 nl DEPARTMENT HpAdi DATE DI CR OF CE DATE 1 (*-Prww— y- Z3 CIT`/ADMINSTRA. DATE ENTERED BY OISTRIBUTIONt wrote:Finance Canary:Rnence Fgrk:Oapercrrana 60-BB MEMORANDUM Date: May 13, 1991 To: John Dunn, City Administrative Officer Via: Arnold Jonas, Community Development Director From: Allen Hopkins, Administrative Analyst Subject: Comments on City Hall Remodeling Although we have discussed extensively the impact of the proposed remodeling of the lower level of City Hall, I felt that our thoughts should be in writing. The following aspects were taken into account as we drafted the proposed floor plans and worked with Dave Elliott, the project manager, as well as the design consultant for the vendor of the office furnishings. Background Prior to 1974, the lower level of City Hall was primarily used for dead storage. In that year it was converted to office use. The present use of this area is considerably different from the original design, yet we are still operating under the original infrastructure: the electrical, heating, ventilating and lighting systems utilized technology that is now over 20 years old. Modern technology now offers us the opportunity to improve the least desirable working environment in City Hall. In many cases, as will be discussed, the health and safety of our employees is a major consideration. In addition to better lighting and ventilation, our current office furnishings need to be .improved upon. For years our staff has been using hand-me-down furniture which does not provide an adequate work environment. Existing space is not used efficiently, and much of the furniture is used in a manner for which it was not intended. Keyboards and monitors are used at an incorrect height on top of the desk causing physical discomfort for the users; files are stacked in the offices due to a lack of storage space; work surfaces are inadequate for laying out plans and reference materials. Correction of these problems was previously deferred in anticipation of the planned City Hall expansion. Now that this goal becomes more distant, we can wait no longer to make these much needed modifications: 1. (:=etim The current carpeting was installed over 15 years ago. Since that time it has been flooded twice and now shows the ravages of time. This carpeting should have been replaced years ago. There are a number of areas which have pulled up and pose a serious safety hazard. In other areas, the carpeting has begun to RECEIVIi® MANY 2 4 mi OTVOXW S&%LU*Apft"QA disintegrate from age. 2. Lighting. Our employees are asked to work in the most undesirable area of City Hall with substandard lighting which was designed and installed using technology that is now thirty years old. We have all seen the improvement to the working environment through the improved lighting which has already been installed elsewhere in City Hall. 3. Ventilation. Just as proper lighting is necessary for a productive work environment, so is the air we breathe. The heating and ventilation system has never worked properly since the lower level of City Hall (originally used for dead storage) was converted to office use. Some areas become intolerably stuffy in the summer, while others provide inadequate heat in the winter. We are eagerly looking forward to an improved, properly-operating heating and ventilating system. 4. Seismic Safes. A great deal of attention has been drawn to this issue. An engineering study has indicated that some seismic modifications may be necessary for the lower level of City Hall. We can't afford = to make these safety improvements, if they are needed, for the benefit of all City Hall occupants. 5. Electrical/Telephone/Computer Wiring, The original layout for the offices in the lower level of City Hall is radically different from the current or proposed arrangements. For example, the original design didn't consider the special requirements of personal computer networks which hadn't even been invented. Now, in order to make our systems operate, staff is continually patching the overtaxed W=9- 6. Paint and Wall Coverings. Some of the areas in the basement haven't been painted since 1974 -- and they show it. Other areas would benefit from lighter, brighter paint schemes to produce a more open feeling, and should be given a more durable wall covering which could be easily cleaned. Some reference materials, like zoning and general plan maps and the meeting calendar, need to be displayed on tackboards instead of taping them to the wall (and leave a scar when they are removed). •7. FurnishingL We have been working closely with the design consultant to provide an acceptable work environment for our employees. Our staff doesn't have adequate work surfaces for laying out maps and plans nor do they have adequate storage facilities for their active files and reference materials. The proposed systems furniture will provide for the most efficient use of space, its ergonomic design will reduce physical problems, and its standardization will allow for interchange of components as needs change. New furnishings will give us the flexibility to improve our existing floor plan and, at the same time, provide for much needed expansion for departmental records. An example of this is the proposed relocation of our Job Address Files (basically one folder for every address in the city) closer to the front counter while allowing for additional file space. 8. Non-departmental Improvement. In addition to our own department, there are others who will benefit from the proposed modifications. The Building Maintenance Supervisor will have a new office away from the boiler, the Technical Systems Coordinator and his/her assistant will have adequate space for dealing with computer components, and the Fire Inspector will have a more efficient office area. Alternatives 1. Abandon the project. This will allow unsafe conditions to continue, particularly with torn carpeting, wiring and broken or damaged furniture. Morale will be affected as staff perceives unequal treatment with their peers who work in remodeled quarters. If the project is abandoned, additional funding will have to be restored to the departmental budget to replace broken and hazardous equipment. Funding for these purposes was deleted from the department budget on the grounds that new furnishings were to be included in the proposed remodel. 2. Reduce the scope of the project: perform some of the improvements as the budget would allow. This would involve re-evaluating the priorities of the entire program, based upon a reduced budget. Those items affecting health and safety would be given first priority. This would include seismic repairs, lighting,ventilation; carpeting, and selective furnishings (computer work stations) without rearrangement of office spaces. If the scope of the project is reduced, additional funding will have to be restored to the departmental budget to replace broken and hazardous equipment. 3. Extend the project. phasing the improvements over a longer time. Although this would meet our goal to improve our working environment, by extending the implementation our operations will be repeatedly disrupted as each phase is completed. Also, it may not be logistically possible to relocate individuals for extensive intervals during remodeling. Recommendation Seek CAO and City Council approval to use carry-over funding per the staff report prepared by Dave Elliott to complete the remodeling program as quickly as practical. c: Dave Elliott RB40DFL624EM 5- 10