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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 02-16-1999 - 9cORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Action Agenda Item No. ~~ ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: February 16, 1999 SUBJECT: Proposed Sheriffs Department Sub-Station at Efland-Cheeks Community- School Park DEPARTMENT: PURCHASING AND Public Hearing: No CENTRAL SERVICES Budget Amendment Reqd? No ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: PAM JONES, ext. 2650 Report Telephone Number- Hillsborough 732-8181 Chapel Hill 967-9251 Mebane 227-2031 Durham 688-7331 PURPOSE: To consider options to provide space for the Sheriffs office to develop a sub-station at the Efland Cheeks Community School Park. BACKGROUND:Orange County is proposing to develop a park on property owned by the Orange County School Board. A 50-year agreement has been executed with the School Board to allow the development. Phase I construction of the Park will include one multi-purpose field appropriate for soccer and baseball, two (2) lighted basketball courts, paved walking trails, multi- purpose play surfaces, one picnic pavilion and associated parking. Specific sections of the park will be for exclusive use by the Efland Cheeks Elementary School during hours of school operation. After school hours, all areas of the park are available for use by the general public. Specifications are in the final stages of development and the project has been approved by the County's Planning Department. It is anticipated that bids will be solicited by the end of February 1999. The designers have estimated the time for completion to be approximately 275 days. Assuming bids are received and contracts are awarded by the end of March 1999, the Park should be completed by January 2000. It is anticipated that the park will generally operate from dawn to dusk. The entrance to the park will be gated when the park is closed. The Park will likely be well used by many citizens of the County, due to the type of activities that can be accommodated on the site. To add an additional element of security to the Park, it has been suggested that a satellite Sheriffs office be located there, as is the emerging trend in many parks nationwide. Options for development, as discussed by a Citizen/County group, included: ~ Constructing an addition to the existing Community/Senior Center; ~ Constructing afree-standing unit on the park site; and ~ Re-allocating space within the existing building to accommodate the satellite office. The various options are more fully explored on the attached report. RECOMMENDATION: The Manager recommends that the Board endorse Option III, the reallocation of two existing offices in the Community Center for use by the Sheriff's Department. Report discussing the feasibility of a satellite Sheriff's office at the Efland-Cheeks Community-School Park January 29, 1999 A meeting was. convened by Stephen Halkiotis, vice-chair to the Orange County Board of Commissioners, on November 24, 1998 to discuss the feasibility/desirability of locating a satellite office of the Orange County Sheriff's Department in conjunction with the development of the Efland-Cheeks Community-School Park (hereinafter referred to as "Park°). Attendees of the meeting included: Citizen representatives: Frederick McAdoo Ernest Corbett Sheriff representatives: Sheriff Pendergrass Major Don Truelove. Sgt. Larry Faucette Investigator David Martin Investigator Randy Hawkins County representatives: Stephen Halkiotis, Orange County Commissioners, vice-chair John Link, County Manager Pam Jones, Director of Purchasing and Central Services Bob Jones, Recreation Director Myra Austin, Recreation Department Background: Orange County is proposing to develop a park on property owned by the Orange County School Board. A 50-year agreement has been executed with the School Board to allow the development. Phase I construction of the Park will include one multi-purpose field appropriate for soccer and baseball, two (2) lighted basketball courts, paved walking trails, multi- purpose play surfaces, one picnic pavilion and associated parking. Specific sections of the park will be for exclusive use by the Efland Cheeks Elementary School during hours of school operation. After school hours, all areas of the park are available for use by the general public. Specifications are in the final stages of development and the project has been approved by the County's Planning Department. It is anticipated that bids will be solicited by the end of February 1999. The designers have estimated the time for completion to be approximately 275 days. Assuming bids are received and contracts are awarded by the end of March 1999, the Park should be completed by January 2000. It is anticipated that the park will generally operate from dawn to dusk. The entrance to the park will be gated when the park is closed. The Park will likely be well used by many citizens of the County, due to the type of activities that can be accommodated on the site. To add an additional element of 4 security to the Park, it has been suggested that a satellite Sheriffs office be located there, as is the emerging trend in many parks nationwide. Of special note: The Efland-Cheeks property is located in a water critical area for the Upper Eno River. As such, any development upon it is restricted to 12% impervious surface. When considering the addition of structures (impervious surfaces) it would seem prudent to do so in the context of the overall park development plan in order to not inadvertently prohibit any component of the park build out as designed. Satellite Sheriff s office: Note that the Sheriffs Department does not plan to staff the satellite facility 24 hours per day 7 days per week, but rather will use it similarly to their satellite office at the Southem Human Services Center (SHSC). The SHSC office is used by deputies for such activities as: - Meeting citizens at the Southern end of the County in association with on- going investigations; - Meeting citizens for paper service; - Writing reports; - Using the telephone. Their movement in and out of the SHSC, hopefully serves as a deterrent to any illegal activity that might occur after hours. follows: Basic facility requirements for the satellite function at Efland were defined as - Two reasonably sized offices (10' x 10'-12' x 12' range); - Access to restroom facilities; - Visible location so persons entering the Park would observe Department vehicles when deputies are on-site; - Parking for a couple, or so, vehicles that is reasonably close to the office so emergency response time will not be negatively impacted. O tions: The group discussed a number of options for the development of the satellite Sheriffs office, including: Option I: Add to the existins~ Community Center Buildin,~ Discussion: The existing Community Center is approximately 2,800 square feet and is used as a Senior Center, as well as for community activities and Recreation Department programs. The building was designed in anticipation of a future addition to the south of the building. This option would propose adding the following square footage to meet the needs cited above for the satellite office: 288 S. F. --Two offices, 12' x 12' 64 S. F. -- Restroom 8' x 8' 50 S.F. -Circulation areas (small waiting area for a couple of chairs; mechanical closet, etc.) 400 S. F. +/- 5 These spaces were cited as minimums during the 11/24/98 meeting. No growth has been projected. Estimated costs are cited as follows: $ 4,000 --- $ 4,600 Design (est. 12%...small job, might be more) $32,000 --- $36,000 Construction (not including site work) estimated $80 to $90 per square foot. It is unknown how the addition would be designed to tie into the existing structure. There would be some amount of money needed to modify the existing structure because of the tie-in, therefore, the upper end of the range may be more applicable. $ 2,200 ---- $ 2,500 Site work to re-direct drainage, relocate driveway to the rear of the facility, etc. $38,200 ---- $43,100 Estimated cost to develop addition ($95.50/s.f.)-- ($107/s.f.) Option l oros/cons: Pros: - Space is designed to meet the specific need; Cons: - Cost - Size of job may make it difficult to obtain bidders, which in turn drives up the cost of construction; - Small addition may reduce the flexibility and add to the complexity of any future expansion of the existing building. Option II: Construct free-standing office Discussion: The group discussed placing a small office structure out in the active areas of the park. Construction options discussed included: - Stick built on site; or - Modular, similar to a modular classroom; or - Modular, similar to the masonry structure we use as a radio building on Eno Mountain and the storage building currently on site at the Efland Community Center site. The prevailing thought behind this discussion was that the Deputies could better monitor the activities in the park if their office was closer to primary activity areas. Estimated Cost: - Cost of on-site, stick building construction would be similar to those listed under Option 1 above. - Modular classroom style building, equipped with restroom facilities is estimated at $31,000. (Note: Commissioner Halkiotis indicates that 800 square feet is a fairly standard size for a modular unit. Since the other cost estimates are based on the actual estimate of needed space (400 sq. ft.), one should consider the difference in cost basis as they review this report.) 6 Masonry style structures, complete with restrooms, are estimated to be priced similarly to the modular unit; - Theoretically, design services would not be required, except perhaps for site work specifications (proper grading and drainage) and utility (water and sewer hook ups). Presumably, costs for this service would be minimal (less than $1,000). - Costs associated with site-work, would be contingent upon where the building was placed on the site. It is plausible that site work could be significantly more than what is listed in Option I, if substantial grading is required to attain proper drainage, or for an access road, parking area, etc. - Assuming the freestanding unit would be located in activity areas that are more remote to water and sewer hookups, connecting those utilities could increase the overall cost of construction. While water is fairly available on the site, an on-site septic system or running lines to connect to the sewer could be a significant development cost. Option II Pros/Cons: Pros: - The building could be located exactly where it is determined the best "policing" effort could occur. - Flexibility in future expansion of the existing building is preserved if the small extension is not added. Cons: - Impervious surfaces added to site. - Cost Option III: Reallocate two offices in existing Community Center for use by the Sheriffs Department. Discussion: As previously referenced, the Community Center is used as a Senior Center as well as for various uses by the Community and the Recreation Department. There are two offices in the Center which are currently unallocated and not used for day to day operations. One of the offices is approximately 12' x 15', while the other is approximately 10' x 10'. The Sheriffs Department has indicated that these offices are quite serviceable for their needs in a satellite facility. The restroom facilities are more than adequate for this additional function. In addition, the large outer meeting room could significantly enhance the flexibility of activities that could be carried out in the satellite office. For example, citizens representing the community at the November 24, 1998 meeting expressed interest in beginning a "Community Park Watch". This room would easily accommodate such meetings with the Sheriffs Department. Option III Pros/Cons: Pros: - Space is immediately available as is, thereby eliminating the need for a capital expenditure; - Deputies moving in and out of the building while it is occupied during normally scheduled activities allows the deputies and citizens to become more familiar with one another; - New access into the park is designed to enter the site almost directly in front of the existing community center on Richmond Road. This would allow the law enforcement personnel to observe all parties entering or leaving the site. - The existing facility has a "wall of windows" along the southern wall of the main meeting room. One of the primary goals is to make it possible for law enforcement to monitor areas where high levels of activity are anticipated. When the site work is completed for the park, one such high activity area, the basketball courts, will be easily viewed from these windows. - No impervious surface would be added as a result of exercising this option. - Deputies could park close to the facility, thereby maintaining quick emergency response to their vehicle when needed. Cons: - Senior Center activities and Recreation Department program growth may be limited to using the space currently allocated for those purposes. Theoretically, an addition to the existing center might become important earlier than anticipated if there is significant program growth at the facility. Recommendation: Option III seems to provide the most favorable set of advantages. This option allows the satellite station to become operational almost immediately with minimal impact. The citizens attending the meeting were supportive of the satellite office. One concern they voiced however was that the satellite office should be highly visible. Option III would seem to address this concern as well. It is recommended that this issue be reviewed after the park has been completed for a two-year period to determine the effectiveness of the proposed arrangement.