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HomeMy WebLinkAboutApril 10, 2012 Agenda AGENDA CITY OF DENTON CITY COUNCIL April 10, 2012 After determining that a quorum is present, the City Council of the City of Denton, Texas will nd . convene in 2 Tuesday Session on Tuesday, April 10, 2012 at 4:00 p.m in the City Council Work Session Room at City Hall, 215 E. McKinney Street, Denton, Texas at which the following items will be considered: nd NOTE: A 2 Tuesday Session is used to explore matters of interest to one or more City Council Members or the City Manager for the purpose of giving staff direction into whether or not such matters should be placed on a future regular or special meeting of the Council for citizen input, nd City Council deliberation and formal City action. At a 2 Tuesday Session, the City Council generally receives informal and preliminary reports and information from City staff, officials, members of City committees, and the individual or organization proposing council action, if invited by City Council or City Manager to participate in the session. Participation by individuals and members of organizations invited to speak ceases when the Mayor announces the nd session is being closed to public input. Although 2 Tuesday Sessions are public meetings, and citizens have a legal right to attend, they are not public hearings, so citizens are not allowed to participate in the session unless invited to do so by the Mayor. Any citizen may supply to the City Council, prior to the beginning of the session, a written report regarding the citizen’s opinion on the matter being explored. Should the Council direct the matter be placed on a regular meeting agenda, the staff will generally prepare a final report defining the proposed action, which will be made available to all citizens prior to the regular meeting at which citizen input is sought. The purpose of this procedure is to allow citizens attending the regular meeting the opportunity to hear the views of their fellow citizens without having to attend two meetings. 1.Receive a report, hold a discussion, and give staff direction regarding alternate plans for the Joint Public Safety Training Facility. C E R T I F I C A T E I certify that the above notice of meeting was posted on the bulletin board at the City Hall of the City of Denton, Texas, on the ________day of ___________________, 2012 at ________o'clock (a.m.) (p.m.) ____________________________________ CITY SECRETARY NOTE: THE CITY OF DENTON CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION ROOM IS ACCESSIBLE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT. THE CITY WILL PROVIDE SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED IF REQUESTED AT LEAST 48 HOURS IN ADVANCE OF THE SCHEDULED MEETING. PLEASE CALL THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE AT 349-8309 OR USE TELECOMMUNICATIONS DEVICES FOR THE DEAF (TDD) BY CALLING 1-800- RELAY-TX SO THAT A SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETER CAN BE SCHEDULED THROUGH THE CITY SECRETARY’S OFFICE. AGENDA INFORMATION SHEET AGENDA DATE: April 10, 2012 DEPARTMENT: Police ACM: Fred Greene SUBJECT Receive a report, hold a discussion, and give staff direction regarding alternate plans for the Joint Public Safety Training Facility. BACKGROUND The City of Denton training for regional and local fire and police officers. Delivering exceptional public safety service demands outstanding training programs by both the Police and Fire Departments. In July 2007, following the completion of a Master Plan, City Council gave staff the approval to proceed with the design of the initial phase of the Joint Public Safety Training Facility. This facility was intended to encompass 88 acres off of Vintage Boulevard, adjacent to Fire Station 7. The original design included a 21,000 square foot administration classroom building, which would house training staff offices, a 100-seat lecture hall, four traditional classrooms, a defensive tactics training room, and a physical fitness room. The facility would also include a firing range complex and several multi- floor burn tower structures. Future plans included a swift water rescue training area, an emergency vehicle operations course, and other similar hands-on training structures. Following the selection of PGAL architects, construction documents were developed for the facility. Prior to the selection of a general contractor, a country-wide economic downturn began. As the long term economic health for North Texas worsened, the decision was made not to issue the debt necessary to begin construction on the project. Grant Funding Prior to the decision to delay construction and while still in the planning process, the Police Department applied for and received three federal grants for the purchase of law enforcement specific training equipment for use in the facility. The grants are specifically limited to the purchase or lease of law enforcement training equipment and prohibited for use in funding construction. The grants funds total just over $1.8 million dollars. The next available bond cycle in which a Public Safety Training Facility could be included is five to seven years away. This would place completed construction eight to Agenda Information Sheet Joint Public Safety Training Facility April 10, 2012 Page 2 ten years out. This timing is incompatible with the federal grant deadlines, which are fast approaching. Each of the three grants has a specific deadline. The City already received an extension on the first grant. A second grant will need an extension. The third grant, which comprises a bulk of the grant funds ($1 million), will not require an extension. The grant funds allow for the purchase of important - including a moveable wall unit for simunition training, driving simulators, needed defensive tactics equipment, and use of force simulators, as well as needed furniture and computer equipment. Alternative Option In an effort to utilize grant funding and deliver the intended regional public safety training of the original facility, staff has developed an alternative plan. The requisite square footage is available on the east side of the current City Hall East for use as a training facility. The City already owns the space. Staff estimates that approximately $1.6 million dollars would be required to design and Staff has identified $500,000 from currently available CIP funding, and $1.0 million dollars can be acquired through the issuance of Certificates of Obligation. Staff expects to add just over 20,000 square feet that will include four classrooms, five offices, a meeting area, a break room, a library, a room for driving simulators, a defensive tactics room, a cardio/fitness room, a weight room, a locker room with restrooms and shower facilities, and adequate storage space. Construction of this facility should allow the City to leverage a bulk of the federal grant money and provide the training needed by City first responders. Nothing in this plan precludes the City from eventually building an administration building and training facility on the 88 acre site on Vintage Boulevard. A Potential Partner This convergence of opportunities could also include an additional partner. The Denton of the pre-trial intake facility beginning this summer. The renovation of the facility will result in the loss of a large training space in the next several years (4-5 years), they will be in need of classroom and office space for their training staff in the interim. Sheriff Office staff has verbally committed to provide Texas Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education funds not otherwise budgeted funds. They also offer the possibility of using inmate labor to assist in construction or clean up. In return, they seek reasonable use of office and classroom space. Details of any partnership need to be formalized. A preliminary design of classroom space has been submitted to an architectural firm and reasonable estimates of costs have been made. Agenda Information Sheet Joint Public Safety Training Facility April 10, 2012 Page 3 OPTIONS 1.Council can direct staff to proceed with planning and construction of thealternate Training Facility site. 2.Council can deny the alternate proposal. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that Council direct staff to proceed with planning and construction of Training Facility on alternate site. PRIOR ACTION/REVIEW 11/16/04 - City Council Meeting 07/17/07 - City Council Meeting 11/05/07 - City Council Meeting 12/11/07 - City Council Meeting FISCAL IMPACT The City of Denton currently has approximately $500,000 in existing Capital Improvement Program (CIP) funding which can be used to design and construct the alternate Public Safety Training Facility. Assuming a total project cost of $1.6 million, an additional $1 million in Certificates of Obligation would need to be issued in order to fully fund the construction of this facility. Staff further anticipates an additional $42,380 inannual Operation and Maintenance costs to cover utilities and cleaning for the new space. Staff does not anticipate the immediate need to add FTEs, although future demand may eventually require additional staff. As formal construction documents are developed, staff can more accurately estimate costs. Respectfully submitted, Lee Howell Chief of Police Prepared by: Mike Beutner, Lieutenant