Travis County Commssioners Court
November 4, 2003
The Closed Caption log for this Commissioners Court agenda item is provided by Travis County Internet Services. Since this file is derived from the Closed Captions created during live cablecasts, there are occasional spelling and grammatical errors. This Closed Caption log is not an official record the Commissioners Court Meeting and cannot be relied on for official purposes. For official records please contact the County Clerk at (512) 854-4722.
Item 10
I did see roger here. So number 10, the departments that I knew of had concerns, have had a chance to meet with roger, their concerns have been addressed, I do think that it's a good idea for roger to kinds of lay out the schematic design for -- -- for consideration so that the departments not engaged as they should have will know what's being approved today. The schematic design is basically a preliminary design to go ahead and finally put in shape, right?
>> roger is so good at this, until I think of one or two many -- an overview will probably -- a one or two minute overview will probably provide all of the information that we need.
>> I do have one question which will be consistent with this building.
>> good morning. Roger el khoury --
>> good morning, roger.
>> the airport boulevard building is -- this is --
>> sorry to interrupt you. This kind of ties into a 12.
>> no.
>> no.
>> that's the county clerk section.
>> same project but different -- [multiple voices] -- this is the schematic design --
>> this is not --
>> -- not the same building but the county clerk's part --
>> it's not only county clerk on change order number 7, it's also other items in there.
>> okay.
>> but this is a schematic design for phase number 2, 3, 4. And as you can see, this is an area right here is for the tax office, drive through, here this area for the -- for the county clerk. And this area right here, is the area for the i.t.s. Disaster center. Now the schematic design, we are going to talk about this area right here to the north. This is right now is about like 20-foot high ceiling and that's the one that we are going to be talking about today to move print shop and imaging. The e.s., Emergency services for their division, also the c.s. Of the [indiscernible] service. As you can see right here, this is the first floor and you enter the building from this side. This -- this is the back side of the building. On the back side of the building right here, the -- the blue area, it's for the print shop and the -- the pink area right here is for the imaging. So the print shop and imaging right now currently located at the home building is going to move to this area right here. [papers shuffling - audio interference] and -- on the first floor, there is yellow area right here, it's for the c.s., The communication services, as you can see there are many classes right here to meet their functions and the operation. This green area right in first floor is for the fire marshal for the [indiscernible] room and for the storage for evidence when they come to the buildings they have first to store the evidence in this area before they take them to the second floor. The second floor right here, it is -- it is the -- the c.s., [indiscernible] communication service, half of the second floor, with all their offices and a back side, the emergency services. The emergency services they have like three divisions, I colored them right here for presentation purposes. The front marshal in the orange area, the -- the fire marshal in the orange area, the -- the [papers shuffling - audio interference] in the pink area, [papers shuffling - audio interference] in the blue area. The only thing here, I will need to discuss with you is the space for the fire marshal. Everything here is done according to the standards, we have been doing all along, we provide 3% per year expansion for five years. The only thing here we have the additional four offices, 1, 2, 3, 4, around -- around the fire marshal because this is only deviation we have from our standards because we have the information that these four spaces that needed this [indiscernible] because the fire marshal is going to be doubled there for marshal assistant. For this information come to the court, I would like to approve that expansion for the fire marshal and everybody sign-off on the plan, everybody likes the plan and I think we are good to go.
>> that's for -- that's four additional offices.
>> thank you.
>> and fire marshal -- he will need that space. They also need commission yourself court to approve it.
>> that's right.
>> I guess my question is if we determine a year from now, two years from now that in fact instead of needing four offices we need two, then other departments will be able to use that space. Either situated in such a way that another department would be able to use it.
>> from the pink and then the blue area, but they already have their own space already. We expanded their spaces also.
>> yeah. So we don't need the four offices that won't be to waste, we will just find another department to use them.
>> that's correct.
>> okay.
>> the fire marshal is saying based on -- on increased anticipated increased workload, we will need that space in the foreseeable future so it makes sense to go ahead and build it out now.
>> [inaudible - no mic]
>> that's fine with me.
>> okay.
>> as long as we can -- we put the space to good use, if it turns out that the fire marshal in fact does not need it.
>> flexible space.
>> [indiscernible]
>> while we are waiting, I have the most controversial question for not only this area, but all the others. What are we doing to accommodate smokers outside this building because there apparently are some issues related to -- to people have to go outside and where will that outside space be because I will tell you the last place people ought to be doing that is -- is yes. Back from the entrance, but that ought to -- first impression going into our building ought not to be people on break smoking. We had to deal with this with the ces folks before that -- that -- whether even though I'm a non-smoker, it's like accommodating folks who have smoking issues and where are we going to put them, where are we going to stash them. It better not be at the first entrance to our building is the first impression of Travis County.
>> we have a vision to put all of this on the back side of the building. We are not going to put anything on the front of the building, city ordinance say that you have about 10 feet or 15 feet away from the public main entrance. You cannot smoke. Therefore we are not going to put -- we are going to prohibit smoking from the first -- you know, the 15 -- 10 to 15 feet from the entry of the building, but on the back we can provide some kind of an area for folks if they want to go smoke, you know, they can smoke in that area. In the back of the -- back parking lot, back of the building employee parking lot. We can assign a little area right there for people who want to go smoke.
>> I guess since i've not really gone through, we just need to make sure that there are ways if everything is going to be funneled to the back, that there are entrances that get you to the back because there's a lot of stuff at ces that happens in the evenings with the classes. The last thing that we want is for people at nighttime to have to go all the way around the building to do this. I'm certain that the neighborhood behind there also would not want people wandering around. There needs to be just some very clear paths to get people where they need to be. We already have issues raised on one side in terms of the county clerk and tax office of where are folks supposed to go he willy to smoke -- legally to smoke and not in the front of the building.
>> we can work it out. We have some -- some back side doors.
>> for the smokers, the wellness committee may well recommend may well recommend that smokers stop smoking. That's another discussion.
>> that's another discussion for another day. But in the meantime it is a legal activity and we want to direct them to a -- to a legal place that doesn't bug all of the rest of us. Nor give a -- give a smokey image of Travis County on the way to our offices.
>> > well, we might be able to buy our new $300 permit and allow you to smoke in the building. [laughter]
>> $300, that's -- that's all.
>> like running a bar.
>> I thought it was $100.
>> 300,000.
>> 300 now,.
>> yeah, darrel.
>> besides from the -- besides the fire marshal's issue, any other issues regarding the schematic design that the court needs to address today?
>> no. Everything is -- [inaudible - no mic] they agreed with this. [inaudible - no mic]
>> we can put the smokers near the fire marshals office and really get you all to -- [laughter] work on that.
>> [inaudible - no mic] I would also like to mention to the court that -- [inaudible - no mic] the space in the airport buildings. This is about like 23-foot high ceiling. I would like to put a second level so this way we have like mezzanine in there so we can optimize the space. First level and second. We feel at this time we might work it into our budget, to the structure, to build a structure for the second floor. And but it was not an original budget. I would just let the court know about that. So -- I think we can work it out. But -- but we are still need some more design to come out with the final number.
>> say that again to me, roger.
>> sure. It wasn't in the original budget? Why? Why wasn't it in the original budget, did you not know about it.
>> because in the original budget we did not want to put the second floor, we did not look at the second floor. And the -- in this area right here, the -- the first area there, one floor, 23 feet high like, if we can apartment mize the space, we can put the second level, optimize the space. We can get the cs folks on 4920 i-35, not 35, airport, into building -- this building, so we have all of the ces in one buildings and provide for the restless for the print shop and the three -- to be at the airport boulevard building, too. So when we bid the -- so that's why it was not in the original budget. So we tried to see how can we optimize the space. We came one a good solution to put another second level. And everybody will fit. Perfectly right there.
>> so where do we -- give me a ballpark figure as to what you think that would cost.
>> we are working right now on the design for the structure. And it might come about $20 per square foot at this time and for about 20,000 square feet. So it might be like about $400,000, but we are working with the budget to see if we can do it. First of all the roof was not part of the building. But the roof from my budget cut about $445,000. And we did not anticipate that, you know, that much money were going to go to the roof. But anyway we are working everything toward the building and making everything happen within our budget. We are not asking for anything at this time.
>> is -- is the city -- we would be bringing those people from i-35?
>> yes.
>> it's something that we lease now?
>> yes. We pay more than $300,000 I believe if my memory is correct, a year. About 15,000 square feet. We lease about 15,000 square feet.
>> this is going to dove tail well with being able to get out of that lease.
>> exactly.
>> and bring the people into here. So you really would be able to witness some -- some savings in one area, spending in another area, that may be somewhat of a wash, would you anticipate that?
>> I anticipate that it's going to be more savings down the road when we move things, ongoing like on an every year basis. There's going to be savings because we are not going to have a lease anymore. We are going to have the ces co-exist with each other. Some of them now at the west 9th street, some of them at that building, now they are combined into one particular place.
>> when you do a second story like this, does it necessitate, is code, you have to have an elevator.
>> that's correct. We have an elevator right here.
>> this one.
>> okay.
>> the stairs right here in this elevator.
>> okay.
>> and parking, I mean, does -- I mean, how many people would you add in this -- in this additional space with ces?
>>
>> [one moment please for change in captioners]
>>
>> the parking space right there, it's a balance. It shouldn't be a problem.
>> so you are trying to work within the existing budget that we gave you and we augmented just a little bit with the i.t.s. Recovery area.
>> yes.
>> what we're doing today is simply signing off on schematicly what we think this space ought to look like.
>> yes.
>> but as you work through these these, we will, I guess, we will have to revisit this.
>> that's correct.
>> but by signing off on the schematic, we're not saying we hereby authorize the second floor without having it fit within the budget.
>> we're not going to go to construction without making sure the fund is available. We're going to come back to the court.
>> and if my memory is, carol, related to the c.e.f. Off interstate 35 is that with a lease that was not ending at the same time all the others were so we really -- and we could not geout of that lease until that time. And again what roger is talking about here is one-time costs to build it out the way, whereas the lease is an ongoing every single year that we can get rid of.
>> that's right.
>> well, I guess my only question is it would be more advantageous for c.e.s. To be completely consolidated at this place? So no inconvenience to people who have to attend classes or anything like that.
>> plenty of parking.
>> okay.
>> roger, I did get some inquiries about security measures sometime back, and I guess they went more to the mix of users.
>> uh-huh.
>> this is the tax assessor's office, one end, on the other end is counseling and education services. So when we put the schematic together, do we ve security matters in mind?
>> sure. I think it's taken care of already, you know, on the plan existing. We have come ras on outside the buildings everywhere and also inside, especially on the tech's office and the inside for recording and also the election. Also we have a full-time security personnel officer there all the time manning the buildings and also the parking area. So the security, I believe it's a fair and reasonable.
>> are we able to section off the part of the building that will be used after hours?
>> yes.
>> from the other parts of the building?
>> yes.
>> so if I were to go there for a counseling session at night, I would not be able to walk out of the counseling room and access the rest of the building?
>> that's correct. Judge, back to this [ indiscernible ] here, we have a big hall way here and this area is kind of dividing the election and the recording and accounting and the tech's office from this area we're talking about today.
>> okay.
>> so a person has to come -- if you want to come to this building, he has no access to go to this building at all.
>> okay. As far as we know, the measures that were taken to address concerns that the tax assessor had are working?
>> that's right.
>> and the tax assessor has been there a month and a half or so?
>> a couple months. And they love it. That's my information.
>> okay. Any other comments, questions about number 10?
>> just real quick one. In honor of potty parity, where are we on bathrooms in terms of number of bathrooms for men versus women?
>> we have plenty of restrooms.
>> I guess that, but what is the ratio for women versus men? We have huge issues in this building. Buildings were built before women were working here.
>> we have one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight -- I mean we have about 16 for women on this side. Also we have a -- for men we have here about also eight on this side. I think the -- 16 for women, eight for men?
>> that's parity. [ laughter ]
>> move approval.
>> second. I'm happy. Be prepared for that kind of question all the time, roger. [ laughter ]
>> thank you, roger, for keeping [ indiscernible ] in mind.
>> sure. You are welcome.
>> a motion and second. Any more discussion? All in favor? That passes by unanimous vote. Thank you. Appreciate your work.
Last Modified: Tuesday, November 4, 2003 9:52 AM