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capital expenditure information, and operational data provided by Orange County. The limited physical $ <br />assessment was an integral portion of the model to provide relative financial performance of Orange <br />County facilities. This model is capable of evaluating the County's public facilities relative to its possible <br />peer group of commercially available buildings and uses. <br />For available, comparable commercial property types — (office, warehouse and light industrial space) the <br />annual cost of operating the buildings was compared to a full- service lease rate for private sector <br />comparable buildings. Properties which are unique and are specific to specialized County <br />government operations (Jail, Solid Waste operations, Emergency Services operations, etc.), capital and <br />depreciation costs were compared to replacement costs (utilizing RSMeans to determine replacement <br />costs). ECS consulted with the Orange County Tax Assessor for appropriate tax rate ranges, and used <br />replacement costs as assessed value. <br />As an overall portfolio, Orange County operates efficiently in regards to market rates and replacement <br />costs. Table 2 presents the three most efficient facilities and the single inefficient facility from a cost <br />standpoint. Appendix 3 of the full report includes a summary of all County facilities evaluated and their <br />cost per square foot. <br />Table 2 <br />Efficient and Inefficient Property Summary – Cost Per Square Foot <br />Most Efficient Properties <br />Inefficient Properties <br />1. Court Street Annex <br />1. Environment and Agriculture Building <br />2. Link Government Services Center <br />3. Public Defender Building <br />In conclusion, Orange County possesses a reasonably efficient portfolio and has sufficient space for short <br />and longer term growth. ECS understands the County is currently interested in obtaining long term <br />development rights for its Southern Orange Campus to address longer term growth nearest the County's <br />population centers of Chapel Hill and Carrboro. <br />ECS recommends Orange County: <br />1. Utilize this baseline report to consider the future use of its inefficient utilization of space and <br />financially stressed assets identified; <br />2. Promote and maintain an adequate amount of public use conference /flex spaces that could be <br />drawn from the currently available under - utilized spaces; <br />3. Initiate a focused educational and development program for organized, efficient and sustainable <br />storage of equipment, supplies, and documents. The largest inefficiency observed is use of <br />County office space for storage. <br />4. Actively strive for operational efficiencies and the reduction of capital and operating costs through <br />a continuous and programmatic discussion of facilities and space utilization issues. <br />Sincerely, <br />ECS Carolinas, LLP <br />alLI <br />Cameron Anderson <br />Project Manager <br />"C41 fr 4 <br />Peter Domenico, P.E. <br />Principal Engineer <br />