19991025 City Space Study Minutes

CITY OF WESTMINSTER, MARYLAND
CITY SPACE STUDY COMMITTEE

MINUTES
OCTOBER 25, 1999

A meeting of the City Space Study Committee of the Westminster City Council was held in the office of Finance Director Steve Dutterer on Monday, October 25, 1999 at 11:00 a.m.

Present were Committee Members: Public Works Director Thomas B. Beyard, Finance Director Steve Dutterer, City Attorney John B. Walsh, Jr. and Chairman Councilman Kevin Dayhoff. Absent was Councilman Greg Pecoraro.

1. The Mission Statement of the City Space Study Committee was discussed.
That discussion included:

The purpose of the City Space Study Committee is to establish what will be the future administrative office needs of the City of Westminster.

In the new millennium, Westminster, like most municipalities, will increasingly be in the customer service business. Westminster will be forming partnerships and collaborations with the business community and our citizenry. As more Federal and State programs and mandates are being placed at the local level of government, we will need to maximize the most efficient governmental response to these expanding roles and complexities of government.

After projections about our future needs are established, we will formulate an approach as to how we can best meet those projected administrative office needs. Since the City has perpetual existence, it does not appear to make good fiscal sense to rent rather than own a facility.

We believe that it is in the City's best interests and that the public will be best served by the re-centralization of City's administrative services in one administrative office facility located in such a manner that it will further expanding upon the 'City Campus approach'

2. Identification of past considerations and deliberations upon City space study needs. There was some discussion about the City Hall Space Planning and Feasibility Study executed by Cho, Wilks and Benn Architects in May of 1991. Mr. Dayhoff questioned how the determination was made to not implement the centralization as recommended by the study. The Committee lamented the cost of duplication of support functions and lack of expandability that has resulted because the recommended centralization was not executed.

3. The Committee discussed an analysis of the present situation. The Committee asked the Department Heads to develop and divide current and future square footage and staffing needs for 1 year, 5 year, and 10 year increments. In that regard, the following was discussed.

a. Staffing Projections
b. Present square footage requirements
c. Future square footage requirements
d. Identified the need to establish our present cost per square foot
e. Future square footage demands for Council Chambers

4. The Committee felt the need to identify potential sites for future City space needs.

a. The old J.C. Penny Building
1. The status of and the potential for more space from the old J. C. Penny building
2. There was some discussion on perhaps the feasibility of purchasing the old J.C. Penny building.
b. EZ Letter Quick Stick property next to the existing Police Department at 36 Locust Street
c. The Leister property to the rear of City Hall
d. The old Post Office at 83 E. Main Street
e. The Farmer's Supply Site at Liberty and Green Streets.
f. The old Farmer's Fertilizer & Feed Property on Railroad Avenue more recently referred to as the Southern States property.
g. Expand City Hall
h. The Key Lot

5. The Committee discussed the capital requirements of the City's future space needs with respect to the possibility of building a parking garage on the Longwell Parking lot and the expansion of the existing police station.

6. There was some discussion about centralizing all of the space needs for the City's administrative offices and if that direction were chosen, what would be the disposition of City Hall if we were to move the offices out of City Hall. The conversation digressed to the last time the City Administrative offices were moved from the old Fire Hall to the Longwell Mansion in the late 1930's.

7. There was some discussion about what sort of administrative organization might be desired in the future for the City's offices. There was some discussion about centralized, reintegration of staff and offices and maintaining an integrated, contiguous campus from the City's Street Department to the Police Department to City Hall to the Armory Building. At that point discussion followed regarding whether or not the old Post Office would fit in to that central office scheme or whether it would be better to build on the Key Lot or the Leister property.

The Committee indicated its intention to meet on
Monday, January 24, 2000 at 11 A.M. in the office of Finance Director Steve Dutterer to continue its discussions.

The Committee adjourned its meeting at 12:00 p.m.


_____________________
Kevin E. Dayhoff, Chair