Board hears $5.5M Cooperative Extension building update; staff told to proceed to 95% design while exploring funding
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Summary
County staff updated the board on the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension building: land purchased for $220,000, initial program reduced from ~15,000 to ~13,000 sq ft; 60% designs show a construction shortfall (≈$733,000) against a $5.5M project budget; the county directed staff to advance to 95% design and return with funding options, noting the county’s statutory obligation to provide only 'reasonable office space.'
County project staff reported progress on a planned University of Arizona Cooperative Extension building at the Mesa Farm site (Avenue A & County 15th). The county purchased two acres from the Board of Regents for $220,000 and commissioned preliminary design work. An initial 15,000‑square‑foot program had a preliminary $10M price tag; staff reduced the program to about 13,000 square feet during the 60% design phase.
Project budget and shortfall: The board previously set a project budget of $5,500,000 with roughly $4.4M earmarked for construction. At 60% design, the construction cost estimate sits near $5,100,000—producing a shortfall of about $733,000. Staff said the University has received an operational request totaling just over $800,000 and that about $325,000 of that ask relates to construction items; if the university funds those items the shortfall would fall to approximately $409,000 and enable a roughly 12,000‑sq‑ft building.
Legal and scope caution: County legal counsel reminded the board that statute requires the county to provide 'reasonable office space' to Cooperative Extension and cautioned against characterizing program spaces (labs, kitchens) in ways that could obligate the county beyond its statutory duty. Several supervisors asked staff to continue tightening cost estimates—particularly professional‑services, contingency and contractor overhead assumptions—before the board makes final funding decisions.
Board direction: Supervisors instructed staff to advance the design to the 95% stage, refresh cost estimates, and return with funding options and tradeoffs (reduce square footage or identify additional funding). The board did not authorize new appropriations at the meeting.
