Agenda - Council Work Session - 04/25/2006

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CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION Topic Report: Current City Hall & Fire Station No. 2 Issues By: Heidi A. Nelson, Asst. City Administrator & Dean Kapler, Fire Chief Background: Staff has been working on a number of issues related to the existing City Hall and Fire Station No. 2, below is a summary of the issues staff would like to discuss with Council. Fire Station No.2/Existing City Hall. In November 2005, City Council authorized an agreement with BKV Group for professional services regarding the future use of the existing City Hall and Fire Station No. 2. Since that time, staff has met with the BKV representatives and it has become apparent that additional work regarding the site for the eventual reconstruction of Fire Station No. 2 as well as a concept plan for the facility may be warranted. Over the winter, the plat for the existing city hall site was approved, which carves out a site for the future reconstruction of Fire Station No. 2. That site was 'fit- tested' by the city's engineering staff, however, a full study of how the site will function for the new fire station has yet to be completed. BKV Group has submitted a revised proposal that includes assessing the future site of Fire Station No. 2 and developing a concept plan for the facility. The proposal has been placed on this evening's council agenda for consideration. Existing City Hall Air Conditioning. There are several other issues at play which all relate to the furore of the existing city hall and the continued use of Fire Station No. 2 for the foreseeable near-term future. As was detailed in a recent Weekly Update, the second air conditioning unit (15-ton) that services city hall went down last week. As Council may recall, last fall (2005) the other air conditioning unit (1 O-ton) that services city hall went down and its repair was postponed in hopes that over the winter we could gain more clarity regarding the future use of the existing city hall. Staffhas been researching both temporary and long-term repair options that would provide cooling for the summer months in city hall or beyond if needed. To replace both units, the cost would be approximately $20,000. As an alternative to replacing both the units, options such as placing window units in accessory doors in the first floor of city hall (approx. cost $3000), replacing the 1 O-ton unit with a used unit and repairing the 15 ton unit (approx. cost $3750) have been researched. Both of these options represent temporary solutions which may forsake the future use of the existing city hall. At this time, it is unclear whether the 15-ton unit can be repaired; the mechanical contractors are continuing to work on it. The 10-ton unit cannot be repaired. Staff is prepared to discuss all of the options and will be seeking direction regarding the repair of air conditioning system at city hall.