Minutes - Council - 04/28/2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Councilmember Heinrich asked if there is a possibility to reduce the project scope and feasibility in a manner which would still support the needs of staff and the community now and in the future years. She stated that public is not in the public works facility very often and asked for more input on how often public space would be used. Public Works Superintendent Riemer replied that the proposed design is efficient and would like to stay at that level. He stated that if a reduction was done, the first place would be the workshops, which would push that activity into the parking spaces which is not efficient. He stated that the public space has been designed in the event a public meeting room is needed or polling place is needed. He explained that it is becoming difficult to use churches and schools for voting and this would be another option. He noted that this would also be another option for public meeting space without interfering with the public works operations. Mayor LeTourneau commented that it would invite the public to interact with the building and having a dual purpose is another element of efficiency. Councilmember Kuzma stated that on the site tours, Elk River had that option and he found it to be a good use. He stated that he would be interested in option three. He stated that if the City could make this work now with the low interest rates, it could be in the best interest of the City to complete the total project now rather than completing the addition in the future. Councilmember Menth asked for clarification on the comment that was made that this design would support the current number of vehicles for the City, but that public works will most likely add vehicles in the near future. Public Works Superintendent Riemer confirmed that in an attempt to lower the cost, this was designed to support 12 vehicles and public works already has 11. He confirmed that additional plow trucks will most likely be added in the near future in order to maintain the eight-hour plowing threshold, depending on development. Councilmember Menth stated that as much as the City would like to save money and scale down the project, the building should be built to support the needs of the community for at least the next five years. Councilmember Musgrove stated that she was surprised at the size of the area proposed for public use. She stated that this area should instead be focused on use by public works. She asked the original budget. Public Works Superintendent Riemer replied that the original BKV estimate was $15,000,000. Councilmember Musgrove asked the number of vehicles that would be stored in the older buildings. Public Works Superintendent Riemer replied that the vehicles would not be parked in that space, noting that the cold storage would be used for storage of other equipment. He recognized that City Council / April 28, 2020 Page 9 of 12