Minutes 05-07-2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Elizabeth Waugh Duford said this was not the intent. She said that the hope is that people who want to use the facility for non-governmental usage will see that there is value in the OCCC helping with marketing and site management. She said this is the facility fee that is being referred to. This will be a fee paid to OCCC for those services. Commissioner Gordon asked for clarification about OCCC's payment of facility fees. Elizabeth Waugh Duford said the OCCC would be contributing to a shared use of utilities and a custodian as their expense and facility fees Commissioner Gordon noted that this outlines an operating budget, but questioned where OCCC will get money for a capital budget. Elizabeth Waugh Duford said pricing of upfits is being done and as soon as the vote is passed to partner on space, a capital fundraising campaign will begin. Commissioner Gordon said there is reference to grants and fundraising with the operating budget, and she asked if there will be a separate campaign for capital funds. Elizabeth Waugh Duford answered yes. Commissioner Pelissier said that a non-profit will pay the county use fee and also an OCCC fee and she is confused by this. Elizabeth Waugh Duford said, in conversations with county staff, the understanding is that these issues would be governed by an operating agreement between OCCC and the county. Frank Clifton said the OCCC business plan just arrived this evening and if the board chooses to move forward, staff would work out these issues through an operating agreement with the OCCC or another county department that deals with facilities. He said the hope is that this entity is financially viable, but the County would not want to tie up the facility until it is certain. He said the County will stay heavily involved in the process. He said that he does not see this entity controlling the use of the facility for all non-governmental purposes, as this would cause issues with other entities. He compared this to the farmer's market arrangement. He said enthusiasm of the OCCC is a good thing but there also needs to be a realistic view of what will work and what is feasible. He said the Board needs to give direction on whether to move forward and then the more specific issues can be dealt with. Commissioner Dorosin suggested, as a way to begin the discussion, to first talk about whether there is a consensus on the desire for a permanent space. If the answer is yes, or if it is no, then what other uses are envisioned for this space. Finally, if a decision is made to have other uses of the space and arts are one of those uses, a decision needs to be made on whether this will be with OCCC or others. He said he feels that that consensus is to have the Whitted Building as a permanent public space, but he would like to hear a full vetting of that discussion as a starting point. Commissioner Dorosin said he would like to hear more from his peers about the relative pros and cons, before making a motion on the permanent space that will cost $1.2 million. Commissioner Rich said, when discussing cost, it is necessary to subtract the money being saved by not having to set up a room for every meeting. She said this will add up over time. She said having a permanent meeting space is fundamentally sound and she feels like a roving commissioner in the current setup. She feels that all the moving around is unprofessional. Commissioner Pelissier echoed Commissioner Rich and said there were past discussions about having a meeting room in the bottom of the Link Government Services Center, but this was not done because of funding issues at that time. She said the Board needs a permanent room and not a makeshift setup. She said this will also allow for an opportunity to have a better technology setup, which will change the climate for everyone.