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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 01-04-1993 - VII-B 1 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Action Agenda Item No. 1/.71-B ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: January 4, 1993 SUBJECT: FACILITIES PLAN: DOWNTOWN HILLSBOROUGH CAMPUS DEPARTMENT: PURCHASING & CENTRAL SRVS. PUBLIC HEARING YES: NO:XX ATTACHMENT(S) : INFORMATION CONTACT: PAM JONES EXT 2650 REPORT PRESENTED TO FACILITIES Telephone Number- STUDY GROUP Hillsborough -732-8181 Chapel Hill -967-9251 Mebane -227-2031 Durham -688-7331 PURPOSE: To provide information from the Facilities Study Group regarding re-allocation of space to address Court and County department needs. BACKGROUND: The attached report is presented in response to a 1992-93 Board of Commissioners goal regarding the Downtown Hillsborough County Campus. The goal called for re-allocation of vacated space or expansion of County buildings which could be accomplished in a manner which best utilizes existing resources. The recommendations contained in the Facilities Plan addresses several critical issues which required immediate attention, while providing a vehicle to review and make recommendations for future long-term solutions. The Facilities Study Group explored not only expansion issues, but security and existing facility concerns as well. Although the recommendations being presented by the Study Group will not solve the space issues indefinitely, there was consensus that it provided much needed relief in the most critical areas and 'was indeed a workable plan. The implementation schedule calls for work to begin in January on several components of the plan. Funding for much or all of the work will be provided through the 1992-97 Capital Improvements Plan. The Commissioners will be kept up to date regarding potential costs as the scope of work is developed more fully. RECOMMENDATION: The Manager recommends that the Board accept the recommendations of the Facilities Study Group. FACILITIES PLAN: DOWNTOWN HILLSBOROUGH CAMPUS FIRST PRESENTED DECEMBER 17, 1992 SUMMARY OF THE ISSUES At the November 6, 1992 Facilities Study Group meeting, the following Court-related issues were cited as being in need of an immediate solution: 1. An additional District Courtroom; 2. Enhanced security measures in Court facilities; 3 . Better sound systems in some courtrooms; 4. Lab testing areas for Child Support Enforcement clients; 5. Secure holding areas established for inmates awaiting Court; 6. A more professional and efficient office area for Judges; 7. Improvements made to Magistrate's office, to include, but not limited to, handicapped accessible restroom facilities; 8. Break/lunchroom area for Court personnel; 9. Improvements to Chapel Hill court facility; 10. Additional space for Probation, Juvenile Court Counselors and Dispute Settlement Division. SUMMARY OF PROPOSED SPACE REALLOCATION After speaking with various persons on the Court staff and the County staff, the following solutions are offered for your consideration: 1. The Juvenile Court Counselor offices relocate to upper floor of the Court Street Annex. 2. The Clerk of Court records on the third floor of the New Courthouse be relocated to the space being vacated by the Juvenile Court Counselor. 3 . A new District courtroom be established in the area vacated by the Clerk of Court on the third floor of the New Courthouse. 4. The Probation offices, currently located on' the third floor of the New Courthouse, be relocated to the upper floor of the Court Street Annex. 5. The Judge's offices, currently located on the first floor of the New Courthouse, be relocated to the third floor in the space vacated by the Probation office. vlJ_ 6. Space vacated by the Judge on the first floor of the New Courthouse be assigned as an area for mediation conferences by the Dispute Settlement Division and an office for the Domestic Violence Coordinator. RATIONALE FOR SPACE REALLOCATION RECOMMENDATIONS The rational behind each of these recommendations is as follows: 1. The Juvenile Court Counselor presently has seven (7) persons working out of their offices on the first floor of the New Courthouse. Two of these individuals are part-time and, in theory, could coordinate use of a single office. The Court Counselors have stretched existing space to such an extent that the efficiency of their day to day operation is severely hindered. It is recommended that the Juvenile Court Counselor relocate to the upper floor of the Court Street Annex in the offices designated as Area 2 on the attached floor plan. Area 2 includes six private offices and the use of a shared conference/multi-purpose room for meetings and other group activities. This multi-purpose room would be available for meetings of all building residents, but in practice would likely be used primarily by Probation staff and the Juvenile Court Counselors. 2 . Upon relocation of the Juvenile Court Counselor offices, the area on the first floor of the New Courthouse would be available for records storage by the Clerk's office. These records are presently stored on the third floor of the New Courthouse. The existing records could be relocated to the two larger inner offices used by the Juvenile Court Counselor and a work area established in the outer area. A small break area/lunch room could be located at the south end of the suite of offices now occupied by the Juvenile Court Counselor. 3 . With the Clerk of Court storage area moved to the first floor, an area, roughly the size of the existing small courtroom on the third floor, will be vacant. It is proposed that an additional courtroom be established in this area. The small office currently partitioned off in this space would be removed to provide a more open area for the courtroom. 4 . The Adult Probation offices are presently located on the third floor of the New Courthouse. They occupy a total of five private offices and a reception area. In addition, they have fairly extensive storage needs for electronic equipment, forms storage, etc. It is recommended that this function be relocated to the upper I floor of the Court Street Annex in the portion designated as Area 1 on the attached floor plan. In regard to the storage issue, I would like to point out that in several instances the offices in the Court Street Annex are significantly larger than those occupied in the New Courthouse, thereby offering the possibility of increased storage within the individual offices. In addition, a separate area has been designated for storage of supplies and equipment and could provide a relief valve for future growth as well. If storage needs cannot be met in the offices and in the storage room, the possibility exists that some storage in the multi-purpose room could be designated for use by Probation. 5. Offices for the District Court Judge are presently located on the first floor of the New Courthouse. It is recommended that these offices be relocated to the area on the third floor vacated by Probation. This arrangement would move the work area out of the main traffic flow and would hopefully allow less interruptions and provide greater security to the Judges. Future expansion to create office areas for an additional Judge would also be possible. In addition, it would be feasible to create private entrances from this suite of offices into the two small courtrooms on this floor, which would eliminate the need for Judges to pass through crowded waiting areas to enter the courtroom. 6. There are a number of options to explore for use of the two offices vacated by the Judge on the first floor of the New Courthouse. Tentative thoughts at this point indicate one can be used as an area for the Dispute Settlement Division's mediation conferences. it is proposed that the second office be used to relocate the Domestic Violence Coordinator. The Domestic Violence function is presently located in the basement of the Old Courthouse, which is not handicapped accessible. Since Ms. Stone spends a significant amount of her time in the courtroom it would be a logical correlation to locate her in the Courthouse. One issue which arose during our last meeting was the need for an area in which to obtain blood samples from Child Support Enforcement clients. The phlebotomist visits one day per month. The function is presently carried out in the Magistrate's office, which may present a conflict if the Magistrate is trying to conduct business simultaneously with the testing activity. If the Domestic Violence Coordinator is relocated to the New Courthouse, it may be possible to designate her existing office in the basement of the Old Courthouse as the lab area. - SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION OF OTHER COURT ISSUES There ends the discussion of the Court functions designated for relocation. As mentioned at the beginning of this document, there are other non-space issues whose urgency to be addressed is also great. To reiterate, they include: 1. Enhanced security measures in Court facilities; 2. Improved sound systems in some courtrooms; 3 . Holding areas established for inmates awaiting Court; 4. Improvements to Magistrate's office; 5. Improvements to Chapel Hill facility. Security in courtrooms and in Court facilities in general is a critical issue. It is recommended that a sub-group, consisting of Judges, Law Enforcement personnel and County administration, convene within the next sixty days to thoroughly discuss what the security issues are and by what means they can best be addressed. Recommendations with minimal budgetary impact could be implemented immediately, while others would be considered during the 1993-94 budget process. Sound systems in the courtrooms would be considered during the budget process as well. The Purchasing and Public Works Departments would work in tandem with the Judges to identify systems that would best meet the need. The absence of a holding cell in the Courthouse has long been an issue. We are presently investigating the possibility of a cell unit which can be installed into an existing office type area, thereby creating a secure holding area. One possible location is the small office area on the third floor presently used as a Probation office. This area would provide good access to the two small courtrooms on the third floor. Input from the group at Thursday's meeting would be welcomed on this issue. The Magistrate's office was moved from the Jail lobby during the most recent Jail Renovation project. , They were temporarily relocated to the old Probation offices while this work was on-going. When the Jail project was completed however, it was determined that the Magistrate's offices should not be moved back into the Jail lobby, thereby leaving them in substandard conditions. It is recommended that the offices be upgraded and the restroom be made handicapped accessible immediately. The Purchasing Director and the Public Works Director will personally work with Judge Love and the Magistrates to expedite the work. It should be noted that should future long-term plans include an addition to the existing Courthouse, the Magistrate's offices should be considered for that facility as well. di Discussions have reinforced the idea that the Chapel Hill court facility is inadequate in many respects. Specific problems identified included: 1. The offices for the District Attorney are unsuitable and dangerous; 2 . Parking is unsuitable; 3 . No holding area in facility; 4. Clerk of Court offices are inadequate both from size and security perspective. It is recommended that soon after the New Year we invite the Town of Chapel Hill to meet with the Judges, Law Enforcement representatives and County Administration to discuss the problems with the Chapel Hill Court facility and to identify solutions we would recommend. A word about modifications to the Court Street Annex. The primary complaint from previous occupants of this building was the heating and cooling system. The County intends to address this problem during the Spring, 1993. Other modifications will include a glass wall/door to physically divide Probation and Juvenile Court Counselor offices; adequate signage both interior and exterior and other cosmetic changes (paint, carpet, etc. ) . CONCLUSION AND IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE These are the recommendations to address some of the short term issues which have been identified. No plan is perfect, no space is entirely adequate. The nature of our business means that we will likely see growth each year of existence. It is therefore important to make long-term plans today in order to maintain status quo for the future. Future meetings of this group will focus on the long- term issue of a new facility or additions to existing facilities. If the recommendations contained in this document are accepted, we anticipate the time frame for implementation will be as follows: . .Court Street Annex vacated by Red Cross Disaster Relief by December 31, 1992 . . .Modifications made to building: January - February, 1993. . .Target to move Juvenile Court Counselor and Probation. March 1 - 15, 1993. . .Moves within Courthouse and modifications to New Courthouse, including establishing new courtroom: March - April, 1993. . .Target for completion of new courtroom and Judges offices: May 1, 1993. . .Modifications to Magistrate's offices, beginning January, 1993. .Discussion with Town of Chapel Hill regarding Chapel Hill Court facility: January, 1993. . .Security and sound system addressed as part of 1993-94 budget process; funding available July 1, 1993 . 4 8 A P . -,3 1 g7.,T: ‘4,Iv : rQ p 9 C iR tit C1:1:43.44,11... 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