Building committee weighs trimmed design after 9-1-1 center estimates top $10 million cap

The Public Safety 9-1-1 Center Building Committee reviewed schematic cost estimates March 26 and asked staff to return with a reduced layout after the presenter said the 'all-in' design exceeded the agreed $10 million cap.

The presenter said the net construction cost for the all-in Option A was $6,142,000 and that, after markups, soft costs and contingencies, the project rolled up to about $10,600,000, roughly $600,000 above the committee's budget target. "Every number that we've received to date... has been included and updated in here," the presenter said, noting the total was a current snapshot of estimates.

Committee members pressed on which program spaces were driving cost. The presenter identified the larger training/conference and fitness areas as the main contributors; he offered three add alternates (a centralized UPS, a feed to the high-school fuel cell, and a masonry veneer) that could be bid separately. On the centralized UPS he cautioned it is "more reliable as itself" but also a single point of failure; operations staff said the city currently uses a centralized UPS and has had about 45 minutes of battery backup in practice.

Several members emphasized the council's instruction not to exceed $10,000,000. "The council sent us a very, very clear message that we are not to exceed $10,000,000," one commissioner said. Members proposed trimming the training room from the planned 40-person design to a 25–30 person room, eliminating or reducing the fitness area, or creating shell space to make the area occupiable later.

Staff and the presenter said code and occupancy rules affect plumbing and restroom requirements and that changing a training room's intended public use can alter code triggers. The presenter also noted current market conditions could yield bids below estimates and recommended including desirable items as add alternates so they can be added if low bids permit.

The committee did not select a final design. Instead, members generally agreed on a compromise path: the presenter will sketch a reduced training-room layout (referred to as 'A2'), recalculate costs (including potential cascading impacts on parking and restrooms), and return with updated pricing before the April meeting so the committee can decide.

The committee also asked staff to confirm where potential savings could be realized (for example, swapping panel cladding for masonry) and to preserve future-proofing for critical communications equipment so the dispatch side would not require near-term expansion.