Barnstable County received a presentation Aug. 13 from Gensler and county staff laying out five scenarios to address deferred maintenance, improve public access and consolidate county offices across the county complex and satellite sites.

Paul Rosala, the county’s assets and infrastructure manager, introduced the engagement and said the work began with a year‑long request for proposals and an initial assessment of county real estate. Gensler principals summarized the five scenarios: (1) renovate and add to the old jail building to consolidate county functions; (2a/2b) a new building on county complex with variants that keep or rebuild the water‑quality laboratory; (3) new construction on Phinney’s Lane; and (4) a stay‑in‑place approach that minimizes new construction and relies on renovations across the portfolio. Gensler presented an “optimized” variant that combines elements of scenario 2 while keeping the water‑quality lab in its current facility and proposes a new two‑story, approximately 32,000 usable‑square‑foot building on the county complex.

The consultants stressed tradeoffs: renovating the old jail and adding space would solve some adjacency problems but likely require extensive code and structural upgrades and would retain an inefficient floor plate; a new building offers modern energy efficiency, adaptable floor plates and a clearer public entrance but carries higher up‑front construction costs. The presentation included an analysis of deferred maintenance, a conceptual construction‑cost estimate for a program done “all at once” and soft‑cost allowances; at a conceptual level the team cited a notional construction scale in the tens of millions of dollars (Gensler described an illustrative figure in the mid‑tens of millions).

Site and program notes: dredge operations and the county fire‑training program were proposed to be co‑located to capture shared warehouse and bay needs; Children’s Cove would remain on its existing site with a modest program expansion; the county farm would retain agricultural programming but could shed some public meeting space under the optimized plan; Joint Base Cape Cod and the Cape Cod Commission programs were considered in relationship to the county complex, with the Cape Cod Commission identified as a potential tenant that could add approximately 5,300 square feet if the county sought rental revenue.

Parking and circulation: the consultants identified parking as a current constraint and suggested regrading and reconfiguration of the main lot to add roughly 70 spaces within the existing footprint; they also sketched a long‑term option that would add a single‑story parking structure if future site redevelopment increased demand.

Revenue and redevelopment options: the team presented potential revenue strategies to offset construction costs, including ground leases or public‑private development of the old jail site for multifamily or mixed‑use housing and possible lease income from current tenants if office space were consolidated. County staff cautioned that title work is under way to identify deed restrictions, easements or reversionary clauses that could limit disposal or redevelopment options; commissioners flagged traffic and neighborhood impacts as issues requiring formal traffic and civil engineering study.

Courts and lease revenue: presenters and commissioners noted the county currently carries building‑upkeep responsibilities for court facilities while receiving below‑market lease compensation. Commissioners discussed continued outreach to trial‑court administrators to clarify lease amounts, access to reimbursement and whether a consolidated plan could address court space needs.

Next steps: Gensler and county staff will refine cost estimates and provide a tighter financial breakdown, including current lease data, market rent comparisons and potential revenue scenarios. Commissioners asked staff to return with a condensed set of public options that can be presented for community input; title work and civil/traffic studies will be necessary before any redevelopment or ground‑lease strategy.

Ending: the presentation concluded with unanimous appreciation for the consultant work and direction to develop a narrower set of options and financial analyses for forthcoming meetings and public engagement.