HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN 11.13.2012 CC-WMinutes of the Meeting of the Governing Body
of the City of Georgetown, Texas
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
The City Council of the City of Georgetown, Texas, met in Regular Session on the above date with Mayor
George Garver presiding.
Council Present: Council Absent:
Patty Eason, Danny Meigs, Bill Sattler, Tommy All Council Present.
Gonzalez, Rachael Jonrowe, Troy Hellmann, Jerry
Hammerlun
Staff Present:
Paul E. Brandenburg, City Manager; Bridget Chapman, City Attorney; Jessica Brettle, City Secretary; Jim
Briggs, General Manager of Utilities; Laurie Brewer, Assistant City Manager; Wayne Nero, Police Chief
Minutes
Policy Development/Review Workshop - Call to order at 03:30 PM
A Overview of the September 30, 2012 year end preliminary financial information -- Micki Rundell, Chief Financial
Officer
This item was pulled from the agenda by staff.
B Presentation and update on the programming, planning and design of the Public Safety and Training Complex --
Paul E. Brandenburg, City Manager and Wayne Nero, Police Chief
Gonzalez absent.
Brandenburg said, at the last Council Workshop, there was a very brief overview of this project. He said, on the
dais, there should be a layout of the different elevations and plans for the project. He said staff wanted to talk to
Council about the programming, planning and design as well as the next steps for the project. He said this will
be the City's largest facility at 70,000 square feet.
Speaker, Ian Reeves President of Architects Design Group, introduced himself and Susan Gant one of the other
seasoned associates working on the project. He said they would like to outline the process for the project. He
noted there are three separate phases for the project and we are engaged in the second phase. He showed
Council a methodology for the project. He spoke about the different phases of the project. He spoke about
phase one of the project and what occurred in that stage. He spoke about the importance of planning for the
future growth when building this facility. He provided a summary of what occurred during the site analysis in
Phase One. He noted they received a lot staff input during this phase. He said they are trying to identify how to
take advantage of the natural topography on that site. He said they have analyzed the site and have
comprehensive training areas which will require large public parking sites as well as secured staff parking areas.
He said this building does not shut down and noted, that is why these buildings cost a lot more than standard
administrative buildings. He provided Council with a summary of the concept analysis of the plan.
He said, after they went through the site analysis, they moved into Phase Two, the design of the building. He
noted there are three phases to the design and he described those for the Council. He showed Council the final
site development concept. He said the project fronts DB Woods Road, the public parking is out front, there are
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water retention areas set up, perimeter walling is in place around the site as well as secured staff parking. He
said the future firing range and training facility are also planned. He noted there is a driving course with a skid
pad. He said they are trying to separate the training components from access from the general public. He
showed the Council upper level furniture plan and office setup. He said police and fire administration will be
sharing the space together. He noted they sought out opportunities to make the space multi -purpose. He said
the upper level is really at grade. He continued to describe the plans for the other levels of the building as well.
He spoke about the incorporation of natural like into the design of the building. There was much discussion
regarding the details of the plan.
Nero reviewed the spatial needs assessment timeline. He spoke about the size of the facility and how it is
directly related to the population. He noted he was tasked with looking at where the organization will be in thirty
years and added he would like to be at 1.8 officers per thousand people. He noted they projected that ratio and
came up with the final space needs for the facility. He described the reasoning behind some of the important
additions to the size of the proposed facility. He spoke about how they came to the current proposed facility
size. Reeves said, when they started working on the design documents, they worked with staff to understand the
City's architectural design guidelines and other regulations. He said they had a long and linear building and
added the City of Georgetown facade articulation requirements increased the building by 1,309 square feet. He
said the introduction of natural light on the lower level coupled with the long length of space has been addressed
and adds to the square footage by 2,648.He said, now that they are receiving utility spaces, the program
requires 577 more square feet in that regard. He noted that number could reduce back down because it is still
being refined. He said those four components contributed to about 4,700 worth of the square footage increase.
He continued to speak about the importance of natural light. He said the Council needs to take care in cutting
these things out because he believes they can still meet budget even with the increase in square footage.The
current design is at 76,831 square feet. He provided Council with a design status update. He said the project is
on schedule, the design team has completed the design development phase and more than half of the design
effort is yet to be completed. He said they are currently through 46.6% of the total design effort. He said the
schematic design has been completed (20% of the design effort) and the design development is also completed
(26.6% of design effort). He said the construction documents have not been started. He noted the project is
temporarily on hold pending the Construction Manager at Risk selection. He described why he thinks the
Construction Manager at Risk method is the best method for this type of project. There were many comments.
Mayor asked and Brandenburg said the main issues to consider tonight when making a decision are that of the
budget as well as the square footage and delivery method. Brandenburg added this is going to be a very large
structure at over 70,000 square feet.
Sattler said he would like to refer back to a schedule given to Council three weeks ago dated August 10, 2012.
He said that schedule shows between October 20th and January 31, they will be working on 90% construction
documents.
Reeves said they would be working through to get to that point but, for now, the project is on hold until the
construction delivery system is determined. Sattler said he is confused why the schedule was given to the
Council if it is not accurate. Sattler asked and Nero said that document was given to Council prior to the project
being put on hold.
Gonzalez arrived at the dais.
Sattler asked and Reeves said, if the Council approves this tonight, tomorrow he will start talking to the
developer about scheduling the cost analysis effort. Sattler asked and Reeves said, for every day the process is
delayed, the end date is delayed that same amount. Sattler said he will leave the building design and square
footage to Chief Nero and his staff. Sattler asked and Nero said they just want to get the process done right.
Sattler asked and Nero said he would go with what Ian Reeves is recommending by looking at the cost estimate
at the end of the day and making cuts if necessary. He said, if the difference is negligible, then he would leave it.
Meigs said he does like the idea of waiting until the cost estimates are completed. He noted it is very important
that the City sticks to the budget. Reeves said they would never present possible problems to the plan without
possible solutions. Hellmann said he is all for maximizing the return on investment. He said it would be worth it
to get as much square footage as possible within the allowed budget. He noted, if we need to cut, that would be
a great place to cut. Hellmann asked and Reeves said there is growth built into units into each department.
Hellmann asked and Reeves said they have not received an update on the cave yet. Reeves spoke about how
the plan can change to accommodate the cave if they need to work around it. Eason said she agrees with
everything that Meigs and Hellmann have stated and she appreciates this more in depth presentation. She
noted she agrees the City needs to move forward in order to get more numbers and more effectively make a
final decision on these issues. She said she appreciates all of the work that has been done so far on the design
of this building. She said she agrees that, when we find out the final cost number, the Council can determine if
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they want to reduce the square footage. Reeves said once they have the number, they would like to have
another workshop briefing and provide solutions to the issue if it goes over budget. Hammerlun said it was an
excellent presentation. Hammerlun asked about the other members of the team. Reeves listed the other
members of the team. He said the team they have is the top notch team available in this part of the state.
Hammerlun asked and Reeves said they will be holding weekly meetings with the CM firm of the Council's
choosing. Hammerlun asked and Reeves said they peppered the site with borings pretty well to check for other
caves but there is no guarantee. Hammerlun asked and Reeves said it will take three to four weeks to get a
cost estimate. He noted there are a lot of things they are still waiting on. Hammerlun asked and Reeves said
Keith Hickman will be on site regularly on behalf of the architect firm. Jonrowe said she is very excited about
seeing this project up and running. She said she is impressed with what she is seeing and she is looking
forward. Gonzalez said this is a 30-50 year building. He noted, looking at the budget, while it is nice, he wants
to make sure they aren't leaving anything out. He said it is a great presentation and noted he looks forward to
hearing more details. Mayor asked and Reeves said they have solar shading and added they use a specific
glazing product that is insulated to address any sun issues due to the natural light features. He said it will be
large missile impact glass. There were many questions and much discussion regarding the details of the design.
Mayor asked about the delivery method and what the Council prefers. Gonzalez said the City need to choose
whichever route is most expedient. Jonrowe said, with being involved in the selection, she is confident in who
the City has chosen and the methodology that has been chosen. Hammerlun said he too will move forward and
support the process the City has selected. Hammerlun said he thinks Reeves has convinced him of the
Construction Manager at Risk advantages. He agreed with Jonrowe and said there were three different teams
that were interviewed the process of selection was outstanding. He said he is disappointed that Reeves didn't
have the advantage of the CM folks two or three months ago to benefit him in the process. Hammerlun said he
appreciates them being proactive on offering options for how to start if the City needs to start making reductions.
He said the dollar amount is finite and absolute. Sattler said he is not sure whether or not the city should do this
and noted the City has lost a lot of the CMAR opportunities because of the delay. Sattler again referred to the
schedule previously given to the Council. There were many questions about the schedule. Reeves said, after
Council makes their final decision today, he would like to send Council a new schedule. Meigs said this seems
like a good plan of action and he is ready to move forward. Hellmann asked and Reeves said, if they added the
bid method to the process, it would add another two months to the project. Hellmann asked and Reeves said
the Construction Manager at Risk method would be both the lower cost and lower risk option. Eason said her
opinion is to go with the Construction Manager at Risk method and move forward.
Meeting recessed to Executive Session under Section 551.071 of the Local Government Code -- 5:08PM
Meeting returned to Open Session and adjourned -- 6:04PM
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 10:30 PM.
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