Agenda - 10-25-2012 - 1 - Laserfiche WebLink

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5 Over the past 15 years, a number of studies were undertaken to determine possible uses for the building. None of the potential uses, however, fared favorably when compared to the cost and effort that would be needed to bring the building up to a suitable standard of operating efficiency. Estimated costs to complete the needed work in 2001 ranged between $2.1 and $2.4 million. By today's construction costs, the estimated investment would likely go well beyond $3 million. While portions of the building have been closed off to help minimize the approximately $100,000 annual operating expenses, the construct of the building systems limit what can be done in this regard. One of the primary concerns of the existing facility is septic capacity. Although additional land for expansion was purchased across the highway from the main building, the designed facilities carried an anticipated cost well over $500,000, so the project was suspended. In 2001, county voters approved a bond referendum which included funds for a park on 40-acres previously-acquired behind the structure. The Cedar Grove Park was constructed and opened in 2008. The last County functions left the facility in 2010, and the only remaining uses are the Cedar Grove Day Care (scheduled to vacate the building by January 1, 2013), storage of equipment by County departments, and a former classroom used as the park office by the Cedar Grove Park manager. In 2011, as part of capital planning deliberations, $250,000 was earmarked for FY 2012-13 for deconstruction/demolition of the facility, and in 2012, based on Board discussions, an additional $2.0 million was included in the Manager's Recommended 2012-17 CIP for FY 2014-15 as a placeholder for a new facility. As a part of these discussions, the Board asked that staff solicit public input on the plans for the facility prior to final decisions. Community Input Session - March 19 As a precursor to a public input session, staff from the County Manager's office, Asset Management Services and the Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation invited a small group of community representatives who had been active in the previous park planning effort to an informal pre-meeting, to receive feedback on how to best solicit community input. This information was used to develop a Public Input Session that was held on March 19, 2012. A summary of this meeting is provided as Attachment 1. Flyers were mailed to all property owners within one mile of the NHSC, distributed to area stores and churches, and advance notice was posted on the marquee sign outside the building.