City Council

CITY OF FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA HON. THOMAS J. TOMZAK, MAYOR HON. MARY KATHERINE GREENLAW, VICE MAYOR CITY COUNCIL HON. KERRY P. DEVINE, AT-LARGE HON. BRADFORD C. ELLIS, WARD ONE HON. GEORGE C. SOLLEY, WARD TWO HON. FREDERIC N. HOWE , III, WARD THREE Council Chambers, 715 Princess Anne Street HON. BEATRICE R. PAOLUCCI, WARD FOUR Fredericksburg, Virginia 22401 Council Work Session May 24, 2011 Evaluation, Review and Discussion of Courts PPEA Proposals The Council of the City of Fredericksburg, Virginia, held a work session on Tuesday, May 24, 2011, beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the conference room of City Hall. Council Present. Mayor Thomas J. Tomzak, presiding. Vice-Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw. Councilors Kerry P. Devine, Bradford C. Ellis, Frederic N. Howe, III, Beatrice R. Paolucci and George C. Solley. Also Present. City Manager Beverly R. Cameron, Assistant City Manager Mark Whitley, City Attorney Kathleen Dooley, Parks, Recreation and Public Facilities Director Robert Antozzi, Planning Director Ray Ocel and Deputy Clerk of Council Brenda T. Martin. Others Present. Warren Walker and Elizabeth Lerch of ARCADIS. Courts PPEA Proposals. City Manager Cameron opened the meeting by explaining that the City PPEA guidelines process has two steps. One is the preliminary phase of concept development which is what the Council and staff are evaluating now. The second is the detailed phase of concept development. There are eight proposals with four different locations with various attributes, heights and building massing. The goal of this meeting was to begin the process to develop a shortlist of proposals to advance to the detailed phase which means narrowing down the group to select one or several to move to step two. This was an open meeting because discussion centered around location and design decisions. Mr. Cameron asked Council to focus their discussions around those two topics only. He then asked Warren Walker and Elizabeth Lerch of ARCADIS to 1 assist in the discussions and provide guidance on their review work. He noted that these are difficult selections to make and referred to a decision flow chart that was prepared to assist Council. The two largest decisions are location and design. Phasing of the project and design compatibility with other buildings nearby are important factors to consider. This complex will have major and lasting impact for decades, to the citizens and the downtown façade. Consolidating and separating facilities are also important decisions. Mayor Tomzak asked that Council have a round-robin first about general thoughts and then have more vigorous discussion about details. He stated we have poor economic times and this will be paid for by generations to come and enjoyed by generations even after. He stated this Council has a responsibility to leave a lasting impression in the courthouse choice. The Renwick building has made a lasting impression in our history and we need to preserve it. Council’s general statements centered around the significant importance of the courthouse being the center of the town and that it needs to stay in the downtown. The current court system is inadequate for numerous reasons and has been discussed for at least four years and it is time to move forward. Citizens have had their opportunity to comment and include input on what is best for the city. Councilor Howe had concerns about operating from a draft report and the impact the costs of the court will have on the future capital improvement projects. He had concerns that the Renwick building would be an unfunded capital improvement if not included in the courts project at this time. He stated he would like to see local builders and contractors be used. He also stated concerns over Glavé & Holmes and Moseley Architects originally specking the work and then being allowed to participate in this PPEA process. Councilor Ellis voiced concerns about spending the money with a shrinking tax base and the possibility of looking at a less costly option. He was also dismayed that very few citizens have voiced their opinions and those that have are not a representation of the whole population. He feels the final solution should include a parking garage at this time. Council then discussed their decisions on location and design through the round- robin process. Vice-Mayor Greenlaw favored the Princess Anne Street locations because 2 it’s a street of government functions and the designs blend well with the other buildings including City Hall. She did not prefer Caroline Street options because retail based businesses are there and the design options are scaled too large for mass and height for that colonial styled street. She would like to see the designs stay close to the 50 foot ordinance with little variance. Councilor Devine agreed with Vice-Mayor Greenlaw’s choice of Princess Anne Street designs. She is not in favor of placing another building like the executive plaza building for its height and footprint on that site. She stated she likes pieces of each of the other five designs, not one in particular. Council Solley agreed with Vice-Mayor Greenlaw and Councilor Devine in that the Sophia and Caroline Street design are too large for their locations. He would like to see the executive plaza gone as well. There is not one proposal he favors. The facades are the easiest to change once a location is decided. Councilor Paolucci feels the opposite; she states the bulk and mass of building are already on Caroline Street with the garage and hotel on that block. She would prefer to build there then on Princess Anne Street. She feels most of the designs for Princess Anne Street would cause a tunnel effect feeling going down the street, due to their scale and lack of open green space in front of them. She views the end of Caroline Street with the proposed sites suitable for a courthouse; it is not like the retail portion of the rest of the street. Her concerns are with size and space and consolidating within one building for cost reasons. Councilor Howe stated that the only choice he prefers is the executive plaza site. He stated that everyone was familiar with his desires. This site consolidates the courts in one location and provides a parking solution which utilizes the existing garage. It gets rid of the “big ugly” which the other proposals do not consider. This proposal also re- purposes the Renwick building for future use. He stated he met with Judge Willis and discussed various options, and he prefers keeping the courthouse on Princess Anne Street. Councilor Ellis favors leveling the executive plaza as well and that option places two buildings back on the tax rolls. Designs presented for the plaza site would not be an issue because of the garage size. He agrees with Vice-Mayor Greenlaw’s ideas about the Princess Anne Street location and if the majority supports that site then the fire station 3 should be replaced at the same time, since the current building has outlived its usefulness. He does favor the plaza site. Mayor Tomzak stated that the parking deck was not built for the courts but to facilitate the hotel. He initially preferred the Sophia Street location due to its proximity of the garage. He would like to see the executive plaza come down. The options for that site have drawbacks such as blocking the airflow of the garage, taking away twenty-seven parking spots, and taking away rear access to commercial buildings. Mass and scaling is a consideration but he felt the discussion was good on both sides. No discussion was made regarding the fire station and we would need the executive plaza to house the executive offices of the fire personnel. There is a cost to razing the executive plaza. Vice-Mayor Greenlaw asked that they not let the “tail wag the dog” by letting the desires to remove the executive plaza lead the discussions. She agrees it needs to come down and it will it time. The plaza proposals are the most expensive. Councilor Paolucci stated she still feels the mass and impact for Princess Anne Street will be too great. Councilor Howe stated he felt the PPEA did not have enough specificity and he is concerned about contract and scope creep. If the courts are not going to be under one roof then you will continue to have those other facilities to maintain. What has been left out that will increase the debt costs? There are a lot of options still left to consider. Mayor Tomzak asked Mr. Walker to clarify the concerns of Councilor Howe’s that Moseley and Glavé specking the work being a conflict of interest. He stated the PPEA was designed under the city’s guidelines. This is more of a legal question but he does not feel that they had an unfair advantage over the other proposers. Members of Council voiced that it was not an unfair advantage in their minds; it was a fair playing field. Mr. Walker addressed the issue of scope creep and stated that the detailed design phase of the two step PPEA process will better define the scope. The scope of work will be defined in the detailed RFP. The Comprehensive Agreement and upfront cost limit will cover all fees and reflect flexed costs. All construction will be bid competitively and be open book. 4  The final discussions centered around concerns of construction costs, price range and usage of space. Mayor Tomzak summarized that the majority favored the Princess Anne Street location with a 4-3 decision. Mayor Tomzak, Vice-Mayor Greenlaw, Councilor Devine, and Councilor Solley favor the Princess Anne Street location. Councilors Ellis, Howe and Paolucci favor the executive plaza site. City Manager Cameron stated this decision was not enough to develop the short list and that a future work session will be need. Adjournment. There being no further business to come before the Council at this time, Mayor Tomzak declared the work session officially adjourned at 6:48 p.m. Brenda T. Martin Brenda T. Martin Deputy Clerk of Council 5