DISCUSSION
An ENA was executed on October 2, 2023, initiating the six-month ENA period where city staff and the development team will prepare design drawings, establish a guaranteed maximum price, create a legal framework, and structure a financial package to deliver the planned public safety building, parking garage and reimagined park. At the end of the ENA effort, a comprehensive design, timeline and funding strategy will be presented to City Council for consideration.
To accomplish the various activities needed to meet the ENA schedule, five work teams were setup to better focus resources. These include:
- Technical – Focusing primarily on the architectural plans for the Project, the Technical work team will review programing adjacencies, site layout, different massing studies, a design within budget, and initiate construction management logistics.
- Entitlements, Permitting & Engagement – This work team is overseeing the necessary entitlements for the project, including environmental impacts and necessary conditions associated with construction. The team is also coordinating the plan check process, ensuring good communication between the design documents and regulatory requirements. Lastly, the team is also managing the community engagement component. Ensuring regular project updates are shared with the community via the City’s website and through various community events.
- Project Financing – The primary focus of this group is analyzing different financial instruments and determining which provides the best value for the City. Once an approach is finalized, the team will work to develop the financing documents, execute funding and oversee distribution of funds.
- Commercial/Legal – This team is responsible for developing the terms and legal structure to execute the planned project. They will also support the financing team to ensure any necessary elements of the financing structure are included in the final agreement.
- Building Commissioning – An important component of the project relates to how the building will be operated and maintained over its lifecycle. This team is looking at different options for electrical and mechanical equipment that can both support the Project’s sustainability goals, but also provide efficient and reliable operation of the facility.
Over the past six-weeks since City Council took action on the ENA, significant progress has been made. Each of the five work teams have held multiple meetings to further their particular component of the overall work effort, and as of now, no major issues have been identified that would significantly alter the course for the planned Project.
With respect to the different design milestones highlighted in the ENA, the Technical work team has made considerable progress on the site plan. Through engagement with several key users of the new facilities, several operational components have been evaluated. Elements such as program adjacencies, ingress/egress, security and accessibility have shaped the design conversation. As the operational conversations advanced, the team was also reviewing building massing, site orientation, interaction within the surrounding civic center campus and the pedestrian scale. Through these efforts, the team has advanced the Project from the initial “design vision” to “conceptual design,” and achieving an important milestone in the ENA schedule.
The presentation tonight is intended to update City Council on the progress made to date and share the current conceptual design drawings.