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Home My WebLink Aboutagenda.council.worksession.202108091 AGENDA CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION August 9, 2021 4:00 PM, City Council Chambers 130 S Galena Street, Aspen WEBEX www.webex.com Enter Meeting Number: 182 625 2323 Password: 81611 Click “Join Meeting” OR Join by phone Call: 1-408-418-9388 Meeting number (access code): 182 625 2323 I.WORK SESSION I.A.City Offices Update 1 MEMORANDUM TO:Mayor Torre and Aspen City Council FROM:Sara Ott, City Manager Rob Schober, Capital Asset Director MEMO DATE:August 4, 2021 MEETING DATE:August 9, 2021 RE:City Offices Space Programming and future use of the Armory, Old Powerhouse, and Old Rescue Mountain Cabin REQUEST OF COUNCIL:Approve final programming for remaining City Departments and next steps. SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND:Before construction began on the new City Hall, City Council directed staff to utilize the Old Powerhouse building to temporarily house various city departments and the Aspen Chamber Resort Association (ACRA). It was agreed at the time, that the ultimate use of the building would be decided when the new City Hall was completed. The new City Hall facility is scheduled for furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E) delivery to start on October 5 th and be available for occupancy in late October or early November. Current direction from Council is to have ACRA (3702 SF) relocate from the Old Powerhouse to the main level of the Armory building. DISCUSSION:Since the last Council discussion, programming in the new City Hall has been optimized to incorporate the Environmental Health staff onto the main floor and the Parking staff to the top floor of the Rio Grande Building adjacent City Hall. In addition, APCHA was initially scheduled to move into the Armory building. In 2021, it was determined that relocation to the City-owned facility at Truscott Place was a better option. APCHA moved in May 2021 to Truscott. With these programming moves and the new City Hall coming online, the following departments still have a need for a permanent location within a City-owned space. Department Verified Program (Square Feet) Capital Asset 1252 Information Technology 1199 Special Events 1862 Transportation 1583 Total Need 5896 2 STAFF RECOMMENDATION:There are several combinations of where these remaining departments could be located between the old Mountain Rescue cabin, the Armory and the Old Powerhouse. Each of these buildings maintain the historic character of the City, and their preservation should be a priority. Therefore, staff recommends the following scenario to finish office spaces. Armory Total Square Feet:19,000 SF Proposed Use Square Footage ACRA Offices 3,000 SF ACRA Visitor Center 700 SF Sister Cities Community Room 700 SF TOTAL 4,400 SF Remaining Space for Unidentified Uses 14,600 SF This recommendation returns the Armory to more community base uses. It would be necessary to undergo a public process to identify and design for the uses Council may wish to see in the space. This process would take 4-6 months, followed by the necessary entitlements, permitting and construction activity in mid-2022 and beyond. In the interim, the City has programmed $250,000 for 2021 in the Asset Management Plan Fund to complete a general refurbishment to the interior finishes for the use by ACRA and the community’s access to the Sister Cities Room. In the long term, the Asset Management Plan has a total of $13.5M programmed in 2023 and 2024 for renovation of the Armory. Old Powerhouse Total Square Feet: 7528, available for office space 5300 Proposed Use Square Footage IT Offices 1,199 SF Capital Asset Offices 1,252 SF Special Events Offices 1,862 SF Transportation Offices 1,583 SF Shared Storage Needs 576 SF TOTAL 6,472 SF Remaining Space*1,056 SF *some storage need would be met off-site. This building needs significant renovation to preserve the historic structure. The building also requires modernization for ADA accessibility and to replace end of life heating and 3 cooling systems. This work includes the installation of an elevator. Staff would recommend this work occur in nearly every scenario for the uses of the building. Placing these departments here addresses three considerations for the city organization. First, it continues to consolidate offices into fewer buildings. Second, these four departments all have needs for storage and shop space to complete core services. The Old Powerhouse has a shop and storage space already constructed within the building. Third, a traditional office use offers a transition from the downtown into the residential area compared to a more active use. There is interest in the community to utilize the lawn area around the Old Powerhouse as either a reservable space for private events and/or for community programming during summer months. If Council desires this activation, the interior modernization can take these secondary uses into account during design development. Specific Council feedback on the lawn concept is requested. The next steps for implementation of the plan would include reengaging the Studio B, the architecture firm of record for the Old Powerhouse improvements, to develop plans for the installation of a simple two stop elevator, new boiler, and air handler with distribution and controls as required. The design and permit process would take approximately 5-6 months with construction beginning in 2nd quarter 2022 for 3rd quarter 2022 occupancy. Currently, the Asset Management Plan has $3.5M programmed for preservation work in 2025. Some portions of this work would need to move into earlier years to accommodate the move in of staff. Other portions of exterior work can occur while the building is occupied. Old Mountain Rescue Cabin Total Square Feet: 1000 Proposed Use Square Footage Return to Residential Use through 505 Fund 1,000 SF In previous discussions, Council indicated a desire to keep this property in the city’s ownership. Therefore, it’s recommended that the building is returned to its original purpose as a residential structure. It will be necessary to complete a building condition and entitlement review to fully evaluate the merits of returning the structure to this use and to evaluate single family or duplex use. Currently there is not an estimate for the capital work. Staff can conduct a facilities condition report in 2021 to assist Council with final decision-making. 4 FINANCIAL IMPACTS:Current project budgets within the 2021 AMP fund are as follows: Council summary Remaining Funds Armory Renovation - Project #51113 $176,696 Armory Upgrades 2021 – Project #51419 $250,000 Current project budget authority $426,696 Future funding, as indicated above includes: Building Years of AMP Funding in Long Range Plan 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Armory $426,696 $1,500,000 $12,000,000 Old Powerhouse $3,500,000 Old Rescue Mountain Cabin ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS: The Old Powerhouse project will remove the existing natural gas boilers to eliminate the carbon footprint. New high efficiency electric heating and cooling will be added. There is a potential to install an electric vehicle charging station. ALTERNATIVES: There are three alternatives explored by staff, but not recommended at this time. First, Council could keep the remaining departments in their respective spaces. This alternative did not address the departmental synergy sought throughout the Public Facilities Master Plan. Second, the Council could utilize the Armory in part or whole for city offices. Third, Council could direct moving a department into the restaurant space in the Rio Grande building to reduce the footprint in other buildings. This alternative would only be able to meet the space needs of Special Events. 5