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Calistoga council asks staff to study classroom rehab, modulars and Tubbs Building for staff space
Summary
Council narrowed options and asked staff to analyze renovating the Public Works classroom, placing modular offices near City Hall, or using Tubbs Building/fairgrounds space for certain staff; members weighed costs, accessibility and long-term fairgrounds planning.
The Calistoga City Council on Sept. 23 directed staff to do detailed analyses of several alternatives to relieve chronic office-space shortages for planning, building and other city staff.
Deputy City Manager Rachel Stepp presented a menu of options that staff had developed, including: relocating planning and building (or just the fairgrounds director) to the Tubbs Building at the fairgrounds; rehabilitating the Public Works classroom and converting it to office space; leasing downtown space (the Bank of America building) for multiple departments; installing modular offices near City Hall; or pursuing a long-term single facility.
Nut graf: Council members repeatedly said departments should remain co-located where possible, be accessible to the public and avoid large one-time expenditures until the communityfairgrounds planning process and survey are complete. Staff will prepare costs, timelines and implementation plans for the mayorpreferred options.
Council members narrowed the options to a small set staff should study further: (1) the Public Works classroom renovation (subject to structural and cost review), (2) modulars near City Hall (new or used), and (3) expanded use of space at the Tubbs Building at the fairgrounds to house the fairgrounds director and some planning functions. Several council members emphasized existing constraints: the classroom shows a failing floor system that would need repair; modular estimates from prior purchases were roughly $259,000 (and likely higher now); and renovating publicly owned buildings may be more fiscally prudent than investing in private downtown leases.
Planning and building staff said they need more meeting and work space and expressed concern about splitting units across locations. Public commenters supported locating fairgrounds staff at the fairgrounds and urged reuse of underused city-owned buildings (including the Crop/Butler building) rather than paying market rent.
Ending: Staff was asked to return with cost estimates, financing options and a recommended implementation timeline for the narrowed set of alternatives. No binding decision was made at the Sept. 23 meeting.
