Minutes of the
February 5, 2008
Chairperson
Brustad called the meeting to order at 6:02 PM. Committee members present were
Brustad, Lu Peet, Pamela Toshner, Lanny Neider, Bob Oberstar, and alternates
Ron Pearson and Leslie Hall. Gene Ratzel
from the Barnes Land Use Plan Commission and Tori Hugo from Short Elliott
Hendrickson, Inc. attended as guests.
Agenda Items:
1)
Approve
minutes of the last meeting. Motion (Lu Peet/Bob Oberstar) to approve
the January 8, 2008
2)
Update
on Bayfield County Extension Agent and consultant contacts (Toshner). Bayfield County Natural Resources and
Economic Development Agent Tim Kane is interested in attending a Committee meeting. He can provide consultant contacts and
identify funding sources. USDA Rural
Development Community Facility Loan/Grant Program and Wisconsin
Department of Commerce Community Development Block Grant are two funding
possibilities. Note: Kane can probably attend the March 11, 2008
meeting.
3)
Discuss
Phase 3 details with SEH (Brustad).
Chairperson Brustad introduced Tori Hugo, Project Manager: Architectural Service from Short Elliott
Hendrickson, Inc. (SEH). Hugo shared a
folder that contained examples of SEH municipal building projects. There are two types of delivery for municipal
construction: 1) traditional bid-build
where statue requires choosing the lowest bid; and 2) cost-estimating with a
“guaranteed maximum price” where a project is designed, bid, and constructed
not to exceed a price. She reviewed the
following projects:
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The
Committee shared that they had previously discussed energy efficiency and green
design and asked whether Hugo had experience with this. SEH worked on the Menomonee Fire Station,
which is a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) registered building
and thus registered with the Green Building Council. LEED certification is a step above
LEED-registration and can be expensive. LEED
considers building orientation, location, storm water control, energy systems,
etc. Generally it’s 4-5% more expensive
for green construction, but there are long-term building maintenance and
operation savings. SEH charges a line
item fee to consider green building design.
Barnes
is Community Development Block Grant-eligible.
This grant is available for buildings that are community
service-oriented (e.g. senior centers, community centers,
minority-focused). It does not cover
office space. If office space were
included in a community center, the grant would not apply to the costs
associated with that space. The Block
grant application requires a suite of information (e.g. floor plan, assessment,
funding sources). SEH charges (~$3000)
for writing the grant. Communities may
write the grant themselves. SEH has a
fee (~$12,000) for grant administration – half of it would be covered by the
block grant, and Barnes would cover the other half. The community’s money must be in-hand when
the grant funds are distributed. The
USDA funding source may be a low-rate loan.
The
group discussed whether remodeling or building new is better. Hugo said generally the costs are about the
same. If no exterior work is done,
remodeling can be less expensive. Adding
a basement to a building is expensive, and it would require the addition of an
elevator. If a building is not historical
or built by a community founder, it may be better to build new.
Building
costs can include moveable items like furniture and appliances. It’s important to consider not only
construction costs but furnishings, too.
For the Drummond Library it was cheaper to do furnishings locally. If furnishings are necessary, they should be
bid separately.
The
building should last 30–50 years, and energy costs will go up in the
future. Therefore, it’s wise to make the
building as energy efficient as can be afforded.
Oberstar
wanted to go on the record that the Barnes Area Historical Association wants
its own, separate building for a museum, but they would be willing to display
items if there were a new community center.
BAHA has space (5000-10,000 sq. ft.) and funding challenges that prevent
the museum from being part of the community center. BAHA is looking at land and is interested in
pursuing some Town property.
The
Committee discussed how to approach the public and Town Board. The Board wants an update at the annual
meeting. The purpose of the Committee
thus far has been to investigate the feasibility and costs of a new community
center with town hall space and to report back to the Board. If the Board decides to continue the
Committee and its efforts, the next step will be to communicate more with local
interests and groups and to better understand specifics related to grants,
costs, location, etc.
Agenda Items for Next Meeting at
6:00 p.m. on March 11, 2008.
1) Approve minutes of the last meeting
4)
Discuss
Town Community Center Committee role and project with Bayfield County Extension
Agent Tim Kane. Specifically, what
grants are available, how to garner public feedback, and annual meeting
presentation assistance (Toshner)
5)
Prepare
presentation to Board for the annual meeting (all)
Motion (Lu Peet/Ron
Pearson) to adjourn the sixth meeting of the
Respectfully
Submitted,
Pamela
Toshner,
Secretary
for the Committee
Dated this 10th
day of February, 2008