COURT
FACILITIES
April 1, 2009
** NOT APPROVED **
Committee Members Present
D. Pullen, D. Fanton, W. Hall, T. Hopkins, T. O’Grady, C. Crandall
(Absent: G. Benson)
Others Present
D. Burdick, W. Dibble, J.
Foels, L. Haggstrom, K. Kruger, J. Luckey, J. Margeson, T. Parker, B. Reynolds,
B. Riehle, K. Toot, N. Ungermann
Special Guests
Belmont Betterment
Association – President Raymond DeTine, Greg Shelley, Margaret McNinch, Wendy
Skinner
Camelot Choraleers – Greg
Shelley, Deborah Hunter, Meredith Chilson
James Charrette, Allan
Automatic Sprinkler Corporation, CA
Joy M. Carlson, RA,
Professor at the Alfred State SUNY College of Technology Computer Imaging &
Architectural Engineering Tech Dept and the following students – David Tice,
Stefanie Cook, Kyle Drummer, Matt Buckman, Lucia Aparicio, Luissanna Cepeda,
Alex Cohen, Marc-Anthony Forgenie
Lisa Lee, Literacy West NY,
Inc. Executive Director
Media Present
B. Quinn, Wellsville Daily Reporter
Approval of Minutes
The
minutes of the February 4, 2009 meeting
were approved following a motion made by Legislator Hopkins, seconded by
Legislator Fanton and carried.
The minutes of the
Legislator
Pullen stated that the primary topic on the agenda today is to consider any
expressions of interest that the Belmont Betterment Association (
Belmont
Betterment Association
Mr.
DeTine apologized about the miscommunications regarding the County’s request
for proposals last year. Mr. DeTine
explained that they had retained CRBE to take care of these types of things,
and they mishandled the request and did not properly follow through. Mr. DeTine indicated that he was very sorry
and hopes that the County doesn’t hold it against them. Since that time, CRBE has been let go.
Mr.
DeTine provided a brief overview of the repairs that have been made to the
building since the Belmont Betterment Association has taken over which included
roof replacement, partial mold and asbestos remediation, securing of building,
repair and/or replacement of locks and windows, heating and water delivery
systems were evaluated, and estimates for bringing building into ADA compliance
were obtained. Mr. DeTine indicated that
plans have been made for further mold remediation, and any asbestos remaining
in the building has been encapsulated in concrete or is in the form of either floor
or ceiling tiles. The plaster was tested
for asbestos, and it was found to be clean.
All debris has been removed, and all of the old carpets have been torn
up and removed which really helped with the mold issues. The grounds have been maintained the last few
years. Mr. DeTine thanked the County for
the assistance that JobTrak has been able to provide in the clean up of the
building. Mr. DeTine stated that they
have a very good understanding of what the building needs and how much it will
cost; there are no surprises. The
parking lot across the street from the school is now owned by Steuben Trust,
and the Belmont Betterment Association is in the process of securing the
parking lot.
Mr.
DeTine stated that they believe that they have a very marketable piece of
property. The Belmont Betterment Association has been actively pursuing other
entities to occupy the building, and there has been some interest. Their desire today is to show the Court
Facilities and County Space Needs Committee that the building could house some County
departments, and they would be willing to work with us to accomplish that.
They
are currently working with Literacy West who has written a grant to occupy
about 14,000 square feet in the building, and if they obtain the grant, they
will be moving in and other agencies may be coming with them. They are hoping to see a building with a
single point of access for services that
Mr.
DeTine introduced Joy Carlson, Professor of Alfred State College’s Computer
Imaging & Architectural Engineering Tech Department. Ms. Carlson briefly explained her experience
and credentials. Ms. Carlson talked about the need to renovate more old
buildings in the
David
Tice indicated that the removal of the old lockers left an eight (8) inch to
one (1) foot gap in the walls, and Mr. Tice presented an art display proposal
to replace where the old lockers were removed.
The proposal featured glass shelving and painting display placed in front
of a rock façade with recessed lighting.
This could be done in any hallway where lockers were removed, and it
creates a perfect place to display art work.
Stefanie
Cook designed the current cafeteria into a Bistro. Ms. Cook indicated that she wanted to make
the environment a very warm and inviting place, and she briefly explained how
she accomplished this by varying ceiling heights and lights. Professor Carlson also talked about how the
existing windows were used to create certain effects.
Kyle
Drummer created a conference room to fit into an old classroom which was
approximately 22 feet by 48 feet. He
presented three renditions showing a conventional conference room and two
modular type rooms.
Matt
Buckman presented samples of executive offices that could attach to a
conference room. Mr. Buckman presented
two different layouts to show how different needs could be addressed.
Lucia
Aparicio presented two different proposals showing how classrooms could be
created into office space. The
particular classroom was divided into three offices each 14 X 9 feet.
Luissanna
Cepeda showed how a classroom can be changed into a bookstore with two
different options for shelving layout.
Mr. DeTine indicated that if Literacy West comes in, they plan to have a
bookstore staffed by volunteers.
Alex
Cohen presented a cubicle layout for two different rooms. Mr. Cohen showed how different cubicle styles
can be used to maximize the space available.
These particular rooms face the courtyard.
Marc-Anthony
Forgenie presented two different proposals to change existing classrooms into
modern office space as well as a reception area or lobby space.
Committee
members complimented the fine job that the students did.
Legislator
Theodore Hopkins mentioned the heating in most schools is found along the
windows, and he wondered how that was being dealt with when the rooms are split
up. James Charrett indicated that they
plan to take out the single master heating unit and break it up into three
individual units with thermostats at each one.
Each room would have its own hot water radiator.
Belmont
Betterment Association’s Lease Proposal
Mr.
DeTine introduced James Charrette, Vice President of Allan Automatic Sprinkler
Corporation out of
Mr. Charrette stated that he shares the Belmont Betterment Associations’
vision for the school, and it is a tremendous asset that the community should
take advantage of. Mr. Charrette
indicated that we need to look at the building for what it can be made
into.
Lease Office Common
Year Space Area Utilities Total
1 –
5 $8/sq. ft. $1.20/sq. ft. $1.55/sq. ft. $10.75/sq. ft.
6 –
10 $1/sq. ft. $1.40/sq. ft. $2.00/sq. ft. $13.40/sq. ft.
Mr.
Charrette stated that the figures listed are tentative estimates, noting that
it can be very difficult to predict what utility costs will be five years down
the road. Mr. Charrette indicated that
the utility costs per square foot would go down as more tenants lease
space. He believes that the increases
reflected in lease years six through ten represent a reasonable estimate of
what increased costs will look like.
These figures do not include build-out costs, and Mr. Charrette
suggested looking at costs for renovating the space needed in one of two ways:
1.
The Office for the Aging would hire contractors and make
the renovations themselves. Mr.
Charrette stated he did not know if that had been estimated or approached from
a budgeting standpoint for the other opportunities that we have.
2.
The other option would be to work with a contractor to
get a dollar amount for the build out, and then pro-rate that into a lease over
ten years. Mr. Charrette estimates that
the renovation costs would be approximately $120,000, about $100 per square
foot, or around 12 percent for an amortized cost of build out.
Mr.
Charrette indicated that they would be willing to contribute public access and
public divisions as necessary to accommodate the tenant space, and they would
not be looking to amortize the public spaces.
Mr. Charrette asked how interested the Office for the Aging would be in
using the gym facility. The gym facility
is a state-of-the-art 14,000 square foot facility with about 4,000 square feet
of locker rooms. It could be rented for
about $200/day for an event, or we could factor in $1/square foot ($8,000/year)
of our leased space to have access for the whole year. If we would have less than $8,000 worth of
activities then the County would probably want to look at renting the facility
on an as needed basis. Mr. VanTine
indicated that some community leagues have expressed interest in using the gym,
and if someone was leasing the building for an entire year, they could in turn
rent it out to other entities. Mr.
Charrette noted that there are more amenities available at the school than any
other facility around.
Mr.
Charrette indicated that they have performed all the basic infrastructure
analysis so they have a very good handle on what it would take to get the
building up and running. Mr. Charrette
estimates that it would take four to six weeks to get through a layout – an
architect would need to be hired to get floor plans, configurations, etc. Mr. Charrette is very optimistic that 8,000
square feet can be built out in three to four months.
The
lease prices above do not include the build out costs; however, they do include
cleaning, maintenance, snow plowing, mowing, etc.
Legislator
Pullen requested clarification on the common area or community space. Mr. Charrette indicated that connecting
corridors and foyers are considered common areas. Legislator
Karl Kruger asked if an increase or decrease in space would affect the lease
price, and Mr. Charrette indicated that they would be willing to discuss that.
Mr.
Charrette indicated that they believe they need to have commitments for 10,000
square feet of leased space to make it worthwhile to open the doors. When the space required drops below 10,000
square feet, the practicality of moving forward is borderline.
Legislator
Dwight Fanton asked if they planned to install a sprinkler system in the
building, noting that he does not know if we can put our people in there
without one. They indicated that they
did not plan to install a sprinkler system, and although any new construction
would require a sprinkler system, old space does not.
Chairman Curtis Crandall stated that the County spent
approximately $30,000 to have an engineering group look at the old school building
in November 2003 to determine how appropriate the space would be for County
usage. The MRB Group did a study, and
their report included the following comments regarding the 1990 addition on the
school:
1990 Addition – Repairs Needed:
·
Repair roof leaks
·
Replace
insulation where roof leaked
·
Replace exterior
doors and hardware
·
Remove existing
shower rooms and locker rooms
·
Modify bathrooms
for handicapped accessibility
·
Replace
delaminated tiles in bathrooms
·
Replace damaged
ceilings
·
Patch and repair
floor tiles, carpet office areas
·
Few, if any,
plumbing fixtures meet
·
Windows are in
good condition; however, the caulking around some of the window units is due to
be repaired or replaced.
1990
Addition – Recommendations to create a
·
At a minimum, at
least one new elevator should be provided.
Provide a new handicapped elevator including enclosure, machine room,
equipment, power, etc.
·
There is no
automatic sprinkler protection in any part of the building. Adding sprinklers to part of the building
would require a new water service dedicated to fire protection.
·
Existing lighting
system is marginally adequate for office use.
Replace the luminaries with more efficient lamp/ballast
combinations. Office and Program
areas: 50 foot-candles. Corridors:
20 foot-candles.
·
Partitions for
supervisors; offices, conference rooms, supply rooms, interview rooms.
·
Replace HVAC but
salvage hot water boilers in the second floor mechanical room.
·
Electric system –
The existing electrical service to the building is adequate for an educational
type use but is not adequate to support office type occupancy.
·
There are no
means for automatic lighting control as required by the NY State Energy Code.
·
Renovation or
occupation of the existing building would constitute both a Change of Occupancy
and Reconstruction under Appendix K of the
Chairman
Crandall asked if all of these items would be included, or if they would need
to be addressed as part of the build-out process. Mr. Charrette stated that many of the things
listed are recommendations rather than requirements. Mr. Crandall commented that he assumes that
many of the ADA requirements would be included in the leased space; however, if
the County desired to have specific lighting in certain areas above what is
already provided, that would be part of the build-out. Mr. Charrette indicated that the current
heating system could be retrofitted for approximately $238,000 so that air
conditioning would be available in the building; however, it has not been
configured for the 8,000 square feet.
Mr. DeTine stated that they have had engineers go through the building
as well, and they know if they were to bring the entire building up to code and
meet all of the needs of both sides, they would be looking at $3.1
million. Mr. DeTine indicated that they
do not need to address the other, older side of the building until it is
needed. A recent electrical inspection
passed with flying colors, and they should be able to support offices with
it. Mr. Charrette also commented that
the MRB study addressed new build-out that we do not have.
Legislator
1.
Cost Issues and Concerns:
B. What is
included in that cost?
C. Does your
price include utilities?
D. Does your price
include cleaning and maintenance costs?
E. Does your
price include snow removal and grounds maintenance?
F. Does your price include the use of common areas
such as foyers, hallways, elevators, and bathroom/restroom areas?
G. Does your price include the use of parking areas? I heard that the parking lot is owned by
Steuben Trust Company, not by
H.
What areas do you propose for the use of Office for
the Aging, NY Connects, and Veterans’ Services?
How many square feet of space will be included? Are those rooms already suitable for
immediate use by those agencies?
I. Who is going
to be responsible for renovation of those areas for use by the County
agencies? Are those costs included in
the square foot price that is being discussed?
J. What
conditions and/or costs would be involved in use of the gymnasium? Is that an extra charge? What would the terms be? Is the gymnasium ready to be used at
present?
K. Will the rent payment include water and sewer
service charges for those services? If
not, how will they be determined and assessed?
L. Does
M. Does
N. How long a
lease would
2.
Safety Issues and Concerns:
has no asbestos contamination?
B. Is the building up to code for use as an office
building? Has this been checked out with
the local or state building inspector?
What will be involved in adapting the former school for use as an office
building?
C. Is the electrical system adequate
for use as an office building facility?
How many electrical, telephone, computer network and internet
connections are available in each room? Who
is responsible for providing those facilities?
3.
Use and Operation Issues and Concerns:
system is in the
building?
B. Is the building insulated to reduce utility
consumption?
C. Is the building air-conditioned? Is it capable of being adapted for
air-conditioning? What would that
involve? Who would be responsible for
doing that?
D. What security measures will be present in the
building? Will there be any watchmen or
other security services? How will the
areas used by County agencies be protected from other tenants or persons
gaining access to the facility?
E. Will there be ongoing construction at the former school
facility? What is planned? What adjustments and protections can be
afforded to County workers, guests and others using the facility during times
of construction and/or renovation?
F. Who are the other potential tenants who will be in
the building? Will
4.
What are the plans and current status for the rest of
the building? Has the condition of the
building been stabilized and secured?
5.
How soon could
6.
Has the
building been inspected by an architect or engineer? What have they reported?
7.
Does the building need to be modified to bring it up
to current code requirements?
Bathrooms were discussed and Mr. Charrette indicated that they would not be counted as part of the 8,000 square feet of leased space. The County would have a dedicated area with a separate entrance with security. Mr. DeTine stated that the hallways could be laid out based on the County’s needs. They talked about using the cul-de-sac for handicapped parking. Legislator Theodore Hopkins asked if the tenants will be able to control what other tenants come into the building, and Mr. DeTine stated that their goal is to have a synergy between the people in the building. The building was re-zoned a few years ago as a business and light industry.
Literacy West NY, Inc.
Next Step
Legislator Karl Kruger commented that we are not really
comparing apples to apples, and that the new construction at the Crossroads
cannot be compared to the materials that the school is made of. No one could afford to build that type of
building today. Legislator Kruger stated
that the prospect of having municipal sewer and water at the school would help
us avoid the problems we may face when we need to add these systems at
Crossroads. In addition, there is the
potential to expand at the
Mr. Charrette stated that they are trying to get the
first brick laid for an organization that will create some real vitality for
the
Legislator Pullen thanked the Belmont Betterment Association
for attending the meeting. Legislator
Pullen stated that the possibilities are intriguing, and what the
Chairman Crandall thanked everyone for attending the
meeting and for the input. Chairman
Crandall appreciates the interest they have in the school, and he is 100
percent in favor of anything that can happen with the school. The Chairman stated that he personally
supports the Office for the Aging Program and what has been outlined and the
contract that is on the floor, but he hopes it doesn’t reflect or diminish the
desire to see things happen at the school.
Chairman Crandall thanked everyone for their efforts. Mr. DeTine indicated that he appreciated the
opportunity to talk to us.
Legislator Fanton stated that he respects what the
Belmont Betterment Association has done, but he cannot support Office for the
Aging going over there at this time.
Legislator Fanton briefly talked about his concerns with asbestos
liability.
Adjournment
The
meeting was adjourned following a motion made by Legislator Hopkins, seconded
by Legislator Fanton and carried.
Respectfully submitted by
Brenda Rigby Riehle, Clerk of
the Board