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Commissioners question $525,000 HHS shell-space buildout; project kept in budget for later decision
Summary
Facilities staff proposed a $525,000, 1,630 sq ft HHS shell-space conversion to two conference rooms and collaboration space. Human Services officials described operational need; several commissioners criticized the cost and asked to defer final direction until a later meeting.
Minnehaha County commissioners divided on a proposed $525,000 building-fund project to finish a 1,630-square-foot shell space at the Human Services (HHS) building that would create two conference rooms and an open collaboration area.
Mark Krenz, facilities director, said the buildout would create two conference rooms and a collaboration area to expand internal meeting capacity and keep community meeting spaces separate from client-serving areas. ‘‘Costs are right there to the left, estimated $525,000,’’ Krenz said when introducing the project.
Carrie Benz of Human Services described heavy use of existing classrooms and said the finished shell space would reduce pressure on current meeting rooms, improve privacy and security for clients, and allow the department to repurpose existing conference rooms into office space. ‘‘This space just allows us a more adequate ability to meet as a staff,’’ Benz said.
Several commissioners expressed concern about the cost-per-square-foot. Chair (unnamed) said, ‘‘Price per square foot we can build a prison for that cost,’’ and other commissioners asked whether the project could be split, scaled back or deferred. Krenz said much of the expense is commercial-grade interior buildout and mechanical, electrical and plumbing work; options to cut costs were limited but could be reviewed.
Commission direction: staff said the project is already reflected in the building-fund numbers presented earlier and recommended keeping it in the draft budget for further consideration. Commissioners asked staff to return with additional context and to discuss the item when a currently absent commissioner is present. The project was not removed from the budget and no formal vote on the specific project was taken at the hearing.
Next steps: Krenz said the likely timeline, if the project remains approved, would be to bid the work in the fall and start construction soon after the first of the year. The building-fund work will be revisited in subsequent meetings prior to final budget action.
