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Commission hears facility-condition assessment update; Executive Office Building design continues despite funding shortfall
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Summary
Staff reported progress on facility condition assessments in Albuquerque and statewide funding allocations; commissioners were told the requested $120 million for the Executive Office Building was not awarded, but design work and agency programming will proceed.
State staff told the Capitol Buildings Planning Commission that facility-condition assessments are underway in Albuquerque and that the state received capital outlay to support assessment and project planning, while the larger Executive Office Building funding request was not approved.
Anna Silva, General Services Department (presiding), reported that ARC has evaluated 34 of 55 facilities in Albuquerque, covering just over 1,000,000 gross square feet. “We have 21 facilities still remaining to be assessed,” she said during the update on the Albuquerque master plan and facility condition assessments.
Silva described the types of issues highlighted by assessments: exterior ADA compliance and damaged asphalt in parking lots, building-envelope issues, window and door upgrades, interior ADA compliance including restrooms and door hardware, HVAC and mechanical needs, safety and security concerns, challenges from homeless encampments near some facilities, and fire suppression systems needing attention.
Silva said the commission’s office was successful in obtaining $10,000,000 in capital outlay this year. She reported that $2,000,000 of that amount is designated for facility condition assessments; $500,000 is earmarked to assess Department of Transportation facilities and patrol yards statewide. Silva said the use of the remaining $6,000,000 was discussed in the presentation but not fully specified in the meeting record.
On the Executive Office Building, Silva said the commission’s request for $120,000,000 was not approved. “Unfortunately, we were not successful in receiving the, $120,000,000 that we did request for, Executive Office Building,” she said, but added that design work continues. Silva said design will take roughly eight months and that agency stakeholders — including the Secretary of State, the Public Education Department, the Department of Finance and Administration, the state auditor, the state treasurer and the lieutenant governor’s office — will be engaged on programming for their spaces.
Silva said the project team is incorporating input from the City of Albuquerque and a Historic Review Board subcommittee and expects to return to the Historic Review Board around July or August to seek approval for demolition of the Casitas and the Konstantinzipino Building; she said next steps will follow the Historic Review Board decision.
President Pro Tem praised the effort to involve the entities that will occupy the building during the design phase, saying it was a positive step. Commissioners did not record a formal decision on funding for the Executive Office Building at the meeting; staff said they will continue design work and follow the Historic Review Board and joint-committee processes.
