Committee approves use of remaining Hall Street purchase funds and transfers $221,632 to cell-block renovation

The Capital Budget and Capital Project Overview Committee voted to allow the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) to use a $713,677 remaining balance from last year’s purchase appropriation to address deficiencies at a building on Hall Street and separately approved transferring $221,632 from completed capital projects to a Hillsborough County South cell-block renovation.

Karen Rantomaki, director of plant and property for the Department of Administrative Services, told the committee the state used $36,333 of the original appropriation to do an engineering study after buying the Hall Street building and negotiated the purchase price to $6,250,000 based on that study. Rantomaki said the department requested use of the remaining $713,677 to address deficiencies identified in the engineering study and that the department planned to prioritize the most urgent work, beginning with the roof.

Rantomaki provided cost estimates from the engineering study: a roof replacement estimated at $560,000; a skylight that may be removed or replaced, estimated at $288,000; plumbing work estimated at $59,000; HVAC at $325,000; and electrical work at $547,000. She said the roof “is kind of the critical ... problem” and that some electrical and other work could be phased or handled with operating funds. Rantomaki said DAS was not asking for additional funding at the meeting and that further capital requests could follow in future biennia.

Senator Waters asked whether the $713,677 would be sufficient to address the deficiencies; Rantomaki said it would not correct everything but would allow the department to begin with the most urgent item, the roof. The committee approved the request; a motion was made by Senator Lang and the motion carried.

On a separate item (CAP25005), Rantomaki explained that, pursuant to “chapter 146-11” (as cited to the committee), the department may transfer balances from completed capital projects to other projects contained in the same section and year of the capital budget. She said the Hillsborough County South cell-block renovation had been identified nearly a decade ago but only recently entered the design phase and that estimated construction costs had increased since the original appropriation. The committee approved transferring $221,632 from completed projects to the cell-block renovation; the staff said final construction estimates were not yet complete and the department hoped to “engineer” the design to available funds.

Votes at a glance: - CAP25DoubleO4 (Hall Street building): Motion to approve use of $713,677 for building deficiencies — motion carried. (Motion made by Senator Lang; second not specified.) - CAP25005 (Hillsborough County South cell-block renovation): Motion to transfer $221,632 from completed capital projects to the cell-block project — motion carried. (Motion seconded by Representative Ebel; mover not specified.)

The committee did not authorize additional funds at this meeting and indicated future capital requests could be brought in subsequent biennia as needed.