HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/09/1993 Adjourned Meeting 1 497
CITY OF YAKIMA, WASHINGTON
NOVEMBER 9, 1993
ADJOURNED MEETING
The City Council met on this date at 7:00 a.m. in the Police
Conference Room, 2nd Floor of City Hall, Yakima, Washington for
informal discussion. Council Members present were
Mayor Pat Berndt, presiding, Henry Beauchamp, Bill Brado (present
after 7:30 a.m.), Lynn Buchanan, Skip Semon, and Bernard Sims.
Council Member Clarence Barnett was absent and excused. City
staff members 'present were City Manager Zais, Assistant
City Manager Rice, Assistant City Attorney Paolella, and Deputy
City Clerk Skovald.
Before the presentation and discussion began about the proposed
Police Station /Legal Center, Council members briefly discussed CRF
projects determination, which will be established through the
process of public hearings and public input. It is important that
the process is started this year so that new major development
projects can be included.
Mel Blackstone, with John Graham Associates, Seattle, and
Ron Cullen, with Architecture Associates, Yakima, were available
to answer questions about the Design /Build process, the project
proposals, and the conclusions of the Design Team concerning the
proposed Police Station /Legal Center facility.
Mr. Blackstone referred to the Design /Build process that the City
initiated this past spring. There were three proposals on
multiple sites, or really site proposals from three different
proposers, received for the new facility. The process was
followed to the letter. After going through the grading, as was
called for in that process, Mr. Blackstone recommended the hiring
of the Opus Corporation for the Kiwanis Park Site as being the
Selection Committees recomendation. He explained that the
Design /Build process is a little different from a standard bid
process in that the low bid is not necessarily what is
recommended. The recommendation is based on the Cost Per Quality
Point score that is acheived by looking at the cost proposal on
the base bid and the quality points which were warranted based
upon the criteria in the RFP. Mr. Blackstone described one of the
most important criteria aspects of the facility. In response to a
concern expressed by Council Member Beauchamp, Mr. Cullen
explained the Design /Build process is different than the
traditional bid process in that there are no traditional
construction documents with all the ground rules set forth;
- therefore, what is submitted is an actual design. Mr. Zais
emphasized the importance of deciding on a site, and if a site had
NOVEMBER 9, 1993 - ADJOURNED MEETING
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been chosen, then the traditional bid process could have been
used. The Design /Build process was used because the Council could
not decide on where the site should be, nor did they know what the
cost would be. He also explained that it was thought that this
process would be less expensive than the traditional bid process.
Council Member Semon explained he was supportive of the
Design /Build process because of the location issue, but the
building industry community showed absolutely zero creativity in
regard to locations. They didn't come up with anything that
wasn't already discussed. Council Member Buchanan commented that
we thought we could solve it by letting the builders come up with
a good site. Council Member Beauchamp asked whether the proposal
would fit the Wikstrom site. Mr. Cullen explained he did an
analysis of that, and based on the criteria set forth, it was
found that there would not be enough parking available on the
Wikstrom site, but parking could be facilitated by an adjacent
piece of property. Council Member Semon voiced an objection to
providing parking spaces for public employees, particularly when
it affects the cost of the project. Responding to a comment from
Council Member Brado concerning allowing extra points in the RFP
for location as well as for local developer participation,
Mr. Cullen explained they actualy allowed zero because the
proposals were "blind." At this point, there was a considerble
amount of discussion concerning the need to decide on a particular
site for the facility, bearing in mind the desires of the public
and combining the technical aspects of the project, with
development of a facility reflecting those qualities.
Next in the discussion was the subject of parking requirements at
the Wikstrom /Armory location. The same parking requirements apply
to this location as with other commercial uses on the block;
however, that doesn't mean they can't be changed. A handout was
provided concerning Land Acquisition Evaluation of the
Wikstrom /Armory site and surrounding properties. There was a
considerable' amount of discussion about whether it was doable in
light of the additional $2 million cost involved for the
Wikstrom /Armory site. Mr. Zais explained the options available to
Council and what the next step would be if Council decided to
reject all bids; that being to decide on a location and come up
with the financing to pay for it. Council members continued
discussion about the funding for the facility and the fact that
the new facility needs to be built. There was discussion about
starting all over using the traditional bid process, financing
possibilities, the timeframe of the project, and how it could
affect the state match. Also briefly mentioned were the lease
option quotes submitted and how extraordinarily expensive they
would be over time.
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NOVEMBER 9, 1993 - ADJOURNED MEETING
Mayor Berndt suggested the tax package be put in place, along with
the available portion of the one -tenth percent sales tax that has
been accummulating, with a guarantee to the public that the money
will solely be used for building the facility.
A totally unrelated issue, that of supporting the reinactment of
the state fire marshall position with possible consideration of
funding the position with help from the Fire Districts, was
briefly discussed.
After a brief lull in the discussion, Council Member Semon
suggested the possibility of phasing in some of the components of
the facility so that there would be money available for site
acquisition. Discussion followed concerning this suggestion.
There was discussion concerning the impacts that crime is having
on the business community far outweighing what the impacts of
financing the new facility would be on the businesses.
The topic of the City Hall location was introduced with reference
being made to the operating and maintenance budget of the
building. The fact that the building has outlived its usefulness
and that no amount of rehabilitation could make it cost effective
were reasons given why perhaps it should be torn down, the City
offices moved to rented office space, and the location considered
as a possible site for the new facility. There was discussion
concerning the reasons why the site was determined to be
unsuitable, in particular, the stacking concept of a multi - story
building to fit the City Hall site.
Mayor Berndt suggested a subcommittee of the Council be
established with the inclusion of some private sector folks to
move forward with the project. Mr. Zais indicated that if the
decision today at the Business Meeting is to reject all proposals,
then perhaps the direction to be taken would be to announce that a
Council Building Committee should be formed to move forward with
representatives from the Council, staff, and the private sector to
begin the process anew on evaluation of site, funding choices, and
design leading a new process for bid in 1994 on a traditional bid
project.
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