Minutes 03-11-2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Jeff Thompson said there is no regulatory mandate to do this, but it is a risk. He said there has been water in the basement. Chair Jacobs noted that if the building was taken down, nothing new could be put back up as it is in the flood plain. Jeff Thompson said this is correct. Commissioner Gordon asked about the differences in the upfit costs. Wayne Fenton said the heating and air systems in this part of the building were not designed for individual offices, so the distribution would have to be re-done, and bathrooms would have to be added. Discussion ensued about the past history and use of the building. Referring to the storage space needs slides, Wayne Fenton said staff sent out a survey to the departments requesting information on storage needs and practices. Referring to the slides on EAC storage space, Wayne Fenton said the storage area is upfit with chain link fences and shelving, and the only thing being stored there are records in banker boxes, properly stored on shelving. Jeff Thompson said each cage stores about 108 record boxes, and some departments have more than one cage. Wayne Thompson said staff will come back with a draft policy for how long records need to be kept. He said staff will work to help departments comply. Jeff Thompson said the incorporation of the digitization technology will hopefully result in more shared goals with the departments. He said some departments want all records at arm's length, and this takes up valuable space. Chair Jacobs asked what recommendation is being made with regard to existing unused space and space currently being used for storage. Jeff Thompson said the Government Services Annex could be offered up for third party use and still has ample storage. Chair Jacobs said the conclusion is that guidelines are needed for storage. He said he does not have clarity on where things are stored now and where they would be stored in the future. Jeff Thompson said there is a need for centralized storage, and there are office and common area spaces being used inappropriately for storage. He said departments will request more space because space is being used for storage that could be done offsite. He said staff has interviewed the departments and now understands these situations. He said departments feel fragmented in their record retention needs, and there is little awareness of the digitization process. He said the recommendation is to formalize a policy for this and free up the best use office and common space by getting those items into storage spaces. He said this will lend itself to the space study as it relates to available space that can be used for incubation, developmental, or other economic development space. Chair Jacobs said the Board is trying to come to more clarity regarding the wings at Cedar Grove or the EAC building. He thought there would be better answers after this discussion, but it seems that staff needs more time. Jeff Thompson said that is correct. Commissioner Gordon said this is a start, but it does not go far enough. She said the information needs to be organized more efficiently. She said there needs to be some kind of statement about what kind of space each department needs and how much space it needs. Jeff Thompson said this question has been asked, but most departments don't know that answer. He said more probing and education is needed on this issue. Commissioner Gordon said the Board received a lot of information before, and this is a subset of that. She feels there needs to be another work session on the space needs study to bring this to some manageable recommendations.