Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Comcare Campus topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County staff advance concept for single COMCARE campus; estimate up to $35M build option
Summary
Sedgwick County staff proposed consolidating most COMCARE programs into a single campus to reduce lease exposure and improve integrated behavioral‑health care, presenting an illustrative new‑build budget of roughly $35 million for an 80,000‑square‑foot facility.
County facilities staff and COMCARE leadership presented a proposal to consolidate most COMCARE programs into a single campus, saying consolidation would reduce lease exposure, improve service coordination, and create safer, more modern spaces for behavioral‑health clients and staff.
Andrew Dilts, director of facilities, said COMCARE currently operates from multiple leased locations and that annual lease costs total about $1,081,423. He said the CIP request includes $2.1 million in 2026 for site acquisition or purchase of an existing building, $2.4 million for architecture and engineering in 2027, and, for an illustrative new-build option, construction in 2028 of an approximately 80,000‑square‑foot facility at an assumed $350 per square foot—yielding a construction budget just over $35 million.
Joan (COMCARE staff) and other COMCARE leaders described programmatic reasons for consolidation: COMCARE is a community mental health center and a certified community behavioral health clinic (CCBHC) that serves more than 12,000 individuals a year, provides specialty staffing (psychiatrists, licensed clinicians, care coordinators and peer support), and must meet access and integration standards under the CCBHC model. Joan said being spread across seven locations dilutes administrative efficiency, increases travel time for staff and clients, and reduces opportunities for in‑person training and warm handoffs across services.
COMCARE leaders said consolidation would allow shared clinical and administrative supports (billing, quality management, nursing) and improve safety and environmental controls for clinical populations. Facilities staff said the proposed site could be county‑owned land north of the East Ninth health department building; staff said they own the footprint and described shifting the health department in a separate CIP project as part of a broader campus plan.
Commissioners pressed staff on cost assumptions, the $350/sq ft figure and how much of the $2.1M acquisition allowance would be adequate for an existing building purchase. Facilities staff said the $350/sq ft figure was used for budgeting because it matched the square-foot cost used for the county administration building project derived from the on‑call architect; staff said the CIP numbers are ceilings and that detailed architecture, site assessments and cost breakdowns would follow if the commission places the project in the 2026 CIP. Staff said the intention is to use COMCARE’s revenue stream to cover long‑term bond interest and principal if the county were to bond‑fund the project, and that this would reduce the current annual lease expense paid from COMCARE’s revenue fund.
No formal decision was made. Staff said the project is currently listed as a priority‑1 CIP item for 2026 work so staff can begin site search and design work if the commission supports that scheduling. Commissioners requested more detailed cost breakdowns (shell vs. fit-out vs. equipment), clearer analysis of long‑term revenue use to pay debt service, and quantification of lease‑savings and service efficiencies.
