Minutes - Council - 04/27/2021 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Parks and Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood commented that he does not have any ideas to decrease the cost without the building looking cheaper. He stated that this is a homely building in a very visible location with land available for sale around it. He stated that this material would provide a lifespan of 50 years versus the 20 to 30 years of plywood and would be a long- term investment. He stated that the majority of the cost is related to materials and he does not anticipate those costs decreasing. He recognized that the architectural standards within The COR are the highest the City has, and the neighboring properties would expect similar materials and appearance for City owned structures. Matt Kuker, PSD, stated that he has been working with staff on this project for quite some time. He stated that when he started looking at putting in the Sapphire Apartments, he asked what would be done with the pump house. He stated that he constructed a $19,000,000 building next to the pump house and Affinity constructed an even more costly project with the understanding that the pump house would be addressed. He stated that the size and cost of the developments and buildings in this area are in the millions and does not compare to the proposed cost for this project. He reviewed the different standards that they met through their development that added cost and expects the City to meet its own standard. He stated that the sidewalk on Center Street is not finished and the west end of his building suffers because the streetscape is unfinished. He stated that no one will want this pump house in their backyard as it stands, and the improvement would help to attract additional development. He noted that he completed his project with the understanding that this building would be improved to meet the City standards. Councilmember Woestehoff asked if there is an opportunity to look at this project more holistically and finish the sidewalks at the same time. Deputy City Administrator Gladhill stated that the contractors that do roads and utilities are different than those that do siding and therefore it makes sense to complete those separately. He stated that the Center Street Framework provided that holistic view. He believed that moving this forward now will allow it to be completed more quickly while still attempting to address the remaining elements separately. Councilmember Woestehoff asked if the remaining elements could be completed for the remaining $100,000. Deputy City Administrator Gladhill commented that while the remaining $100,000 could go a long way, there would need to be additional discussion as to the scale of the project. Parks and Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood commented that the City Engineer is finalizing the plans for the sidewalk adjacent to the Saphire project. He stated that there is an opportunity for the private sidewalk to be done with the other sidewalk. He agreed that the projects should go forward separately as they use different contractors and funding sources. He stated that the Council does not have to do the building now, but he believes that this is the time to complete this work. City Council / April 27, 2021 Page 11 of 17