Minnehaha County building committee approves minutes, hears $370,000 furniture plan for two remodels

The Minnehaha County Building Committee met May 25 and approved the minutes from its May 18 session before receiving a briefing on furniture plans for the Administration Building and Extension Building remodel projects.

Commission Administrative Officer Carol Muller told the committee that a group of county department representatives toured three furniture manufacturers as part of the planning process. Connie Shields of Tegra reviewed floor plans, and JLG Architects conducted an inventory of existing furniture to be incorporated into the remodel designs. Muller said roughly 60% of the current furniture will be reused and the combined estimated furniture budget for both buildings is $370,000.

The briefing outlined steps county staff have taken to limit costs and retain reusable furnishings. Committee members listed as present were Commissioners Barth, Bender, Beninga, Heiberger and Karsky as well as Facilities Director Kriens and Auditor Kyte. The committee recorded a motion by Commissioner Bender, seconded by Commissioner Barth, to approve the May 18, 2021 Building Committee meeting minutes; the motion passed with five ayes.

After the furniture briefing, Commissioner Barth moved and Commissioner Bender seconded to adjourn; that motion also passed with five ayes. The meeting record shows the committee chair as Dean Karsky and the minutes attested by Deputy Auditor Rhonda Bennett.

The committee did not record further action or formal votes related to design approvals or procurement at this meeting; next steps implied in the briefing included incorporating the inventory and reuse plan into the remodel design process.