Minutes-03-21-2023-Business Meeting

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2 Commissioner Portie-Ascott said she has met with the following county departments as part of her orientation process: Criminal Justice Resources, Housing, Budget, Elections, Transportation, Library, Planning, Office of Equity and Inclusion, as well as the Sheriff's Office. She said April is Re-entry Month, and there is a fireside chat on April 101" at the Colonial Inn. She said she enjoyed learning about the work of each department and the staff was very patient and generous during her visits. Commissioner Richards said she met with Housing, Planning, Parks and Recreation, and Family Success Alliance staff since the Board's last meeting. She said she visited the Gateway Housing Complex today and got to witness the partnership between the housing provider, county, and schools. She said when thinking about all of the social determinants of health, it is impressive that the county is part of this innovative approach to holistically address the needs of this community. She said she attended the Chapel Hill Chamber of Commerce meeting and highlighted the Economic Conditions Survey which is available on the Chamber website and has information on what the local economy looks like. She said she also attended the Black Business Leadership Council meeting, and just came from the Burlington-Graham MPO meeting tonight. Chair Bedford said that Vice-Chair McKee will not be in attendance tonight. 4. Proclamations/ Resolutions/ Special Presentations None. 5. Public Hearings None. 6. Regular Agenda a. Approval of Professional Services Contract with Woolpert, Inc. to Conduct a Public- School Capital Needs Assessment, and Approval of Budget Amendment #7-A The Board approved a professional services contract with Woolpert Inc. totaling $984,561 to conduct a Facilities Condition Assessment, a School Optimization Plan and develop Benchmarking Best Practices for all public schools in Orange County, and with the proposed scope of work including $85,000 for a study of educational adequacy of school facilities; and approved Budget Amendment#7-A. BACKGROUND: As a strategy to improve the quality and efficiency of operational services, Orange County Government, Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) and Orange County Schools (OCS) collaborated on the issuance of a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for a design firm to provide a: • Comprehensive Facility Condition Assessment (FCA) • Optimization Plan of Existing Space Utilization; and • Examining Prioritization Models, Benchmarking Best Practices and Scenarios for both school districts that recognize the distinct structure of the County allocating funds to the two school districts. The desired outcome will help County and School professionals and elected officials better plan, manage and fund new construction and maintenance of the thirty-one (31) school campuses and administrative offices for the two school districts. Ensuring that scarce capital resources are used effectively requires a better understanding of when to repair/maintain, renovate or replace buildings, how and when to contract across campuses and school districts, and how to provide reliable funding to assure that schools facilities are built and maintained in a timely and cost-effective manner.