Minutes - 20070130 - Laserfiche WebLink

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facility (Attachment 3, page 21). An advantage to this is that Social Services have the funds to be able to utilize this facility. Chair Carey asked Laura Blackmon if she was supporting the request from DSS to utilize the OE space and Laura Blackmon said yes. Commissioner Faushee said that Housing and Community Develapment usually shares common clientele with Social Services. Laura Blackmon said that she talked with Housing and Community Development Director Tara Fikes and she said that she does work closely for some aspects, but in other aspects, she works closely with Planning. She said that there were concerns either way. She said that Housing and Community Development does need the space at Southern, so some people will not be located in the central office space. Commissioner Foushee made reference to Social Services and consideration for retrofitting spaces that will need work such as the Northern Human Services Center. She toured this space and realized that there are great needs here. She asked if this space could be retrofitted for County functions. Pam Jones said that the Northern Human Services Center has a plan in place that was developed several years ago that has an allocation of space for a variety of functions. Until the Whitted Building is funded, this has not been pursued yet until there is a decision on the occupants. Laura Blackmon said that there is a concern on how long the Whitted Center can accommodate Social Services and the Health Department. In particular, the Health Department is looking at whether or not to provide dual services {dental and health) at both sites. Chair Carey made reference to the document from the Board of Health and the Health Director and said that they provided information on what they would prefer to do. Pam Jones said that this document came out after the staff sent out the packet information. Chair Carey said that the Board will not consider the Board of Health document since not all County Commissioners have it tonight, but it does provide mare clarification. Commissioner Foushee asked where Mental Health would go and Pam Jones said that Mental Health is currently in a large space at Whitted and more information is needed before a decision is made on this. Commissioner Jacobs said that he would like to know how much is budgeted for retrofitting for these facilities so that there is sense of what can be done and when. Laura Blackmon said that there is definitely a timing issue far moving, renovating, etc. Cammissioner Jacobs said that he was fascinated with the statement that the Board of Health concurs with the need to relocate the Environmental Health staff at the Planning Department, because for years the Board of Health has fought this bitterly. He said that he would take the fact that the Board of Health has a plan with a grain of salt and treat them similar to the way the schools are treated, which is that it is a semi- autonomous unit of government that may have an agenda that coincides with the County's, but it may be different, and the County is ultimately the one that has to find the capital. He suggested accepting the document as a vision and not a program. Cammissioner Jacobs said that all of the potential changes with the County campus and the Homestead campus are good ones as long as it is not too crowded and that it would allow for expansion. He said that he hopes that the County will solicit Hillsborough's participation regarding the meeting room at the Government Services Center. Commissioner Jacobs said that there are some de facto decisions regarding the Homestead campus that he is not totally comfortable with yet. He said that it seems like