Agenda - 04-18-2017 - 8-a - Minutes

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18 1 accessible, and already has water and sewer, etc. He said he would like to know cost 2 estimates for such an option. 3 Commissioner McKee said this project has run away, and originally a renovation of a 4 structurally sound building was the only option being considered. He said the vision has gotten 5 lost along the way. He said the current building is dated but usable, and he does not buy the 6 long hallway being inadequate. He said there are schools that are just as old as this building. 7 He said it is a residential neighborhood, but there is also a commercial strip on this portion of 8 Revere Road and it is a mixed-use area. 9 Commissioner McKee said the intersection of Highways 57 and 86 is very congested in 10 the morning, and he does not like this option. 11 Commissioner McKee said he is open to discussion to build a new site along the 70 12 corridor, but acknowledged that this would cost well over$7 million. He said there are higher 13 and better uses for those funds in many other areas of the County. 14 Commissioner Price said she agreed with previous comments, and she is not in favor of 15 the Torain Street site. She said the current site can be reworked, but she is open to a plan on 16 highway 70. 17 Commissioner Burroughs said major renovations on Revere Road would not be perfect 18 but would be workable, and there are limited capital funds at this point. She said her first 19 instinct is to do a conservative renovation and save some money. She is unsure if that site 20 would work for affordable housing. 21 Commissioner Marcoplos asked if the proposed $7 million cost for a project on highway 22 70 would include proceeds if the Revere Road site sold for$2 million. 23 Commissioner McKee said he used the figures from option 2b. He said affordable 24 housing always seem to require the County to donate the property, in order to make the project 25 more affordable. He is unsure that there would be profit from using the Revere Road site for 26 affordable housing. 27 Commissioner Marcoplos said there are persuasive arguments for renovating the 28 existing building, despite how ugly it is. He said he thinks the option for creating affordable 29 housing is a viable one, but he understands the financial rationale behind renovating the current 30 EAC. 31 Commissioner McKee said he agrees with Commissioner Marcoplos that it is nice to 32 think about a new building, but driving a used car, for the next few years, may be wiser than 33 driving a new one. He said from the perspective of those who use the current building, it is not 34 well laid out but the building itself is workable. He said he has never heard complaints from the 35 staff that work there. 36 Commissioner Rich asked if the turn around issues in the parking lot will be addressed, 37 should the plan to renovate the existing site move forward. 38 Kristin Hess said the majority of the money will be spent on the building, and as little as 39 possible on the outer site. She said the lot may be re-surfaced. 40 Jeff Thompson said the lot does need to be re-surfaced. 41 Kristin Hess said some of the utilities need to be upgraded, and sprinklers will need to 42 be added to the building. She said there is too much impervious surface on this site. 43 Commissioner Marcoplos asked if daylighting baffles could be brought in on the roof, as 44 well as varying the ceiling height. 45 Kristin Hess said this is a good strategy, but it is more expensive to do this, and would 46 increase the current cost estimates. 47 Commissioner Marcoplos said it would be worth the investment as employees have 48 better work product when there is daylight. 49 Commissioner Jacobs said whenever the Board votes, he hopes it leaves room for 50 recommendations that were proposed by the citizen group in the early 2000s.