Travis County Commissioners Court
February 7, 2012 (Agenda)
Item 17
Number 17, discuss and take appropriate action on its related improvements at the granger building and related sources of funding.
>> joe harlow, executive for information technology.
this is a request for the funding necessary to remodel the infrastructure within granger when they start remodeling the buildings for the tenants that might move in from over here.
>> did we review all of this during budget?
>> there was a budget
>> [indiscernible] during the budget process however at that time the costs were not known and were not matched up with what was going to be funded for f.m.
looking back, we probably should have done a reserve.
however, when I found out about it in December, luckily I was actually in the middle of doing our recommendations for the scrubbing process, and we were able to identify funding in existing co's that is currently has been reviewed in the auditor's office that it's capital and also for appropriateness for the co's.
however, I have not yet met with david escamilla, I will be doing that tomorrow, pending that approval we should be able to use existing balances for the -- the reason that you are seeing it today is that those recommendations were for already approved project.
while the facilities portion renovation is found in the fy 2012 adopted budget, the its portion that goes along with that is not currently in there.
that's what this request is that's before you today.
>> have you been able to at least look at the figures to see that the figures that are presented here are reasonable --
>> [multiple voices]
>> that is correct.
that is another reason that it was not recommended for funding during the approval of the budget.
I believe at that time, like I said, it wasn't quite matching up.
the original request was over a million dollars, it was for different floors than what are actually being renovated in the facilities management budget.
that's being worked through.
we have met with its and facilities and that matching process has now occurred.
>> along those same lines, thanks for bringing it up, Margaret.
is this the -- my only concern about this because I think that this is -- has been scrubbed nicely, it was nice to see it come down from 1.3 million to 649,000.
do we on a routine basis have facilities and its coordinating their renovation plans?
was this a result of a lack of coordination?
>> the way the budgets for renovations have been done in the past, it gives facilities the information and they include it in their submission to p.b.o.
I think that's what happened.
but a lot of the detail backing it up did not get to p.b.o.
>> I think there can always be better coordination during all three departments during the budget process, we will work further to ensure that in the next budget process as well.
>> thanks for bringing in the coordination at this point.
it now seems coordinated.
>> we are working with fmd and with steve manila to have a much better process along with purchasing to make sure that it is involved in the early planning process.
>> I think that we've been there before, as well.
with -- with the fact that sometimes we don't quite know, especially with it, expenditures, as to how much, you know, exactly is needed to get some tasks done.
that -- that's going to serve, you know, a lot of departments.
and so -- so but I can understand, you know, your explanation for this.
and so -- so that -- that -- but still I think that you have always gone back and looked at those items. You continue working on them together to come up with a final number which is what we always ask for is the final number, you know, having looked at it, well, you know, in all of the other, you scrub the co's funds well enough to -- so that we can come up with the additional money.
but, yeah, I mean, I've been -- I remember being in those positions where it's real hard to settle on what the number is.
>> we can come up with an estimate usually, but until we know exactly who is going to
>> [indiscernible] move in, exactly what the floor plan is going to be, you are not going to be able to get it nailed down to the precise.
>> I think it's important to know this is not the entire cost for the entire granger facility, this is the phased in approach as tenants are moving out.
>> the first two floors, but this renovation has impact on the other floors because of its location of some of its centralized equipment, correct?
>> the main connections to the building will go in on the first floor.
what we call the mdf room.
then that gives the ability to get in to service the rest of the floors.
>> remind me of who will be on the first and second floors.
>> on the second floor roger el khoury, director for facility
>> [indiscernible] department.
on the second floor, that's what we have for recommendation for this year is going to the district attorney.
the folks on the fifth floor move them down to the second floor.
that renovation and construction this year for f 12.
>> that's the public integrity unit.
so they will occupy all of the second floor?
>> working on it, yes, they will occupy -- really the special unit is not only
>> [indiscernible] as I understand there are five units in that -- in that special
>> [indiscernible]
>> okay.
and just from -- I want to mention one more thing, if we are -- if we are to answer the question about the coordination between fmd and its, we are coordinate fating very closely together on so many projects and -- and especially 700 lavaca, also coordinating on the -- on the granger.
when we had that budget back in -- that -- that walter and leslie they work together right on -- at that time we don't know exactly what we're going to renovate in that building.
we get the numbers from its, we will put it in our budget in fy '12.
well, yes, it was approve everything in order for the buildings, you know, what the request, but not to approve anything for its at that time.
so I would like --
>> [indiscernible] I would concur with jessica what she said on that.
next budget year we're going to ask for the second, third, fifth floor renovations, so that will impact its requests as well.
>> okay.
>> when we saw the request during the budget process, the recommendation would have been co's?
>> it would have -- the -- the f.m.
renovation is actually -- I'm not sure, it's co eligible, correct.
>> okay.
>> most of it, not all of it.
>> yeah.
>> are we working toward -- toward a projection of the overall costs of renovation of granger?
>> we're working on that once we get some -- we're going to present that in fy '13, you know, the full the total cost of the renovation, yes.
>> that would be great.
>> right.
>> any other questions, comments?
on 17?
move approval.
>> second.
>> discussion on the motion?
>> just to let you know, p.b.o.
will come back then with scrubbing recommendations that will allocate and have funding recommendations and actual budget transfers.
>> this action was contingent on
>> [indiscernible] by legal.
>> if for some reason that doesn't occur we'll have another solution for you.
>> thanks.
>> anything else?
all in favor?
that passes by unanimous vote.
thank you very much.
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