11/05/1992 - City Hall-MinutesS //. ib i(
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
5 November 1992
TO: City Hall Committee
FM: City Enginee
RE: Committee Minutes
on 5 November 1992, the City Hall Committee drove to Tumwater to
view their city hall and then stopped at tacoma to discuss city
hall construction with the firm, Merritt-Pardini. Members present
were John Clauson, Carolyn Powers and Jack Grable. Also present was
Larry Curles.
The Committee inspected the city hall at Tumwater and the following
items are noted:
Tumwater has a population of 10,360 and is a third class city,
as is Port Orchard. The city has 113 employees.
The city hall was financed by a 1986 bond issue of $4 million
and completed in July 1988. The architect was the BJSS Group.
The city is already outgrowing the building. The site is 10 to
12 acres and the building wings can be expanded.
The Council Chambers (401x351) also served as the municipal
courtroom. The jury trials are contracted to the County so
there is no need for jury rooms. The chamber has seats for 40
people and the Council table was curved. A pull down screen
was on one side of the room. There was a conference room which
could seat 7, off to the side of the chambers. For trials, the
attorneys used the conference room (121x161) to talk with
their clients.
The reception area for the public had all the counters in one
area: zoning, building permits, court clerk, utilities and
information. Each special area had its own counter and its own
personnel.
The corridors were typically 4 feet wide. Except the police
had 4 1/2 foot wide corridors. The stairs to the police were
5 feet wide to accommodate carrying bulky items, such as
bicycles.
The file room upstairs was 161x18; and contained the copier
and fax. The file cabinets were on wheels which allowed more
The mayor's office (121x181) had a desk and 3 chairs and was
located by the city manager's office (121x12'). The
administrative assistant for the manager had an office that
was being converted from a storage area. The mayor's
conference room (121x181) had 8 chairs.
The administrative conference room (121x181) had 8 chairs.
One work area (12'x241) contained 4 inspectors.
Two planners worked in an office of 121x14'
A one person office was typically 101x12'
The Treasurer's computer and file area was secured with an
electric lock. The finance personnel typically had private
offices.
The police had a public area upstairs and a more secure area
downstairs. Each access into the police area was secured with
an electric lock.
The police chief office (121x161) had a desk and 4 chairs. The
assistant chief office (81x161) has a desk and 2 chairs. The
department had 24 people, off which 3 were clerical.
The evidence room (151x301) was downstairs. The pass through
doors opened into the corridor and were of varying sizes.
Larger evidence, cars, were kept in a special evidence garage
by public works. The evidence room had its own alarm system in
case someone broke into it. Simple metal shelves serve it
well. A locker is needed to secure firearms.
The police wanted a locker room with exercise equipment. It wa
cut for lack of funding.
The clerical area (241x241) contained three desks. The public
window was open and did not have the full plexiglass covering.
There is an alarm system to announce brake -ins. The files room
(101x201) held 6 file drawers.
The DARE officers office (12'x121) contained two officers.
The interview room (81x8') had a 2 way mirror. It was supposed
to have a hidden tape recorder. However, the HVAC equipment
above the room drowns out the testimony.
The holding room (81x12') had only benches. This and the
interrogation room were the only ceilings of wallboard. the
rest of the building had suspended ceilings.
The investigators office (121x201) held two officers with a
lab adjacent to it.The lab and nearby restrooms need
industrial fans to keep the chemical odors from going
throughout the building.
The squad room (141x241) had it chairs. The chairs had rocking
legs and were wide enough to accommodate the equipment belts
worn by the officers. In the room, there was a refrigerator,
TV, microwave and sink. The room also needed open shelves to
each officer to store his briefcase. The squad room also
serves as the situation room and should not be shared by other
city employees.
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The report writing room (41) was off the squad room. It
had two desks and allowed the officer to get some privacy to
write his reports.
Two sergeants shared an office (81x141) off the squad room.
Throughout the police area, the CENCOM dispatcher could be
heard over room speakers.
Except for the lobby of the building, there wa carpet similar
to that in Port Orchard city hall and rubber base boards. The
lobby has wood base boards and a higher quality carpet.
The police women locker room consisted of 6 lockers, one
shower, a toilet and sink. There were 2 women police officers.
The police male locker room consisted of 15 to 20 lockers, one
shower,a bench , toilet and sink. The department felt that a
second shower would had been better. The police do not have
individual cars and change clothes before they go home.
The training room (241x321) was outside the police secured
area and was used by police and fire. It also serves as the
EOC.
The telephone room (81x161) was quickly filled with expanding
telephone needs. The HVAC room was 201x201.
The maintenance closet was 81x8'. Storage throughout the
building minimal. The expanding staff had taken all the excess
area from the building. There was still one empty room
(24'x34').
The unfinished basement had become the new area for the
economic development staff, planning staff and public works.
There was a small counter and a large open area (40'x40') . the
open area used 5' high partitions to create office space. At
times, noise is a problem in this space. Private offices off
the open area included the city engineer, public works
director and facilities manager. each office was about 121x20'
The map room was 101x30' and contained numerous flat files.
The staff lunch room/lounge (201x201) was used for breaks and
lunch. The staff takes scheduled breaks.
After Tumwater, the committee stopped to discuss the Bonney Lake
public safety building with the architects. The building is under
construction can consisted of a 30,000 square foot fire/police
building. The conversation went over to city hall projects in
general:
East Wenatchee is building a city hall of 12,000 square feet
for about $2,000,000. They have a population of 6 to 7
thousand. They are using the council chamber for a courtroom.
the council conference room serves as a jury room.
Grandview has spent 2 years working on the concept for a city
hall.
The city should plan on about $30,000 to have the architect work
with the staff, council and community to develop a preliminary site
plan and building concept. Wenatchee paid about $30 to $40,000.
These items would be used to show what is needed and would be used
to have a bond approved. Once the bond was approved, the design and
construction could be accomplished. the design would be one year
and the construction would be one year. The total project cost
were $100 to $150 per square foot. The design fee appeared to be
about 10% of the project cost. Transit paid 12.5% of the project
cost for both design and construction administration.
cc Council