City Council - Special Meeting

Yeah, hold off on for a second. Letha, we need to adjust your volume on our end.

Mayor. Hey, can I just interrupt you? Please. We cannot read that document. I'm wondering if you could send it to the town clerk and they could print it out so that we could have a hard copy to follow along.

See the document, but we cannot see the full line. Understood. Yeah, yeah.

have it printed we can also be that you might be able to zoom in I'll zoom in yeah just give me just a sec yeah can we try that first mayor because I'm it might take a while I'd have to take a recess to figure out how to fix that document I you know in the future I think it would be great if we could have a hard copy of this PowerPoint to follow along and make notes on the actual hard copy okay that's better is that better yep yeah thank you doctor

Thank you. This is beautiful. Thank you for this work. I just have a couple questions. If you could go back to the first floor diagram.

So right now, the building has three bays. Correct. And accommodate three. And so can you just explain why you have four?

We had a reserve engine that was staffed here in the third bay. So, as you've noted in your other stations there, you know, 2 bays is sufficient because you would have 1 engine and 1 ambulance. So I don't necessarily, you know, we need to discuss whether we need a reserve engine with the chief, but you may not need to build that. You know, we could just, you could still have the decontamination area and then we just have the two bays.

Okay. And then there's like a floating area above the.

Okay sorry and then lastly we when when the plan came out from the CAC there was some space for outdoor you know community tables and obviously space for outdoor recreation for the people who are using the building right is that envisioned here also yeah I think we're gonna have to

Elizabeth question. Thank you. This is very nice looking. The plan that we all talked about in late April, I don't think there was a phasing option, so I just wondered why do we need a phasing option? I thought that we would be doing all of this at the same time.

Do all of the spaces for the phasing option match exactly the spaces for the build all at once option?

Okay, and then. It was it was my understanding that, assuming we stay as a member of Ross valley fire that we would only need one one engine, not a reserve engine is that correct krista.

Yeah. Sorry. Assuming we stay with Ross Valley Fire, isn't it true that we would only need one fire engine and not a reserve engine?

And traditionally stations have two engines in Station 10? Tiburon Fire? Excuse me? Does Tiburon Fire have two engines at Station 10?

Okay, so to be safe, we should assume a regular engine and potentially a reserve engine unless we get confirmation from Chief Mahoney that

Karen Grove- And then I just wanted to follow up on elizabeth's question about the phasing it was my understanding that the CAC plan and maybe Jeff you can. City Council Chambers L' illuminate. City Council Chambers L' It was my understanding that the that this would be phased that the initial building would have the option to have fire. Assuming the operating costs for fire could be addressed is that wrong.

So the word to use is optionality, Joey's word.

Any other questions by council members, Matt?

Mayor Mrakas, So just to clarify the main difference between having a fire station or not, is the potential that we would need to add another bay that's the bay and then the upstairs you're showing. Mayor Mrakas, Some bedrooms square feet. Mayor Mrakas, Three bedrooms yeah. Mayor Mrakas, So if we went ahead and built the bedrooms we might just have some extra bedrooms there. that we might use at some point, and then the downstairs space could be used as something else instead of that bay. But all the other functions, the living room, the kitchen, the gym, all of that stuff has to be built no m

Because we got all these cost estimates before that it was going to be $14 million to build fire safety.

Yes, but I just we were talking about maybe 2000 square feet of difference between a fire station and just doing the paramedics in here. And so I'm just shocked that all the studies before this had said this was going to be such an expensive option to do. Mayor Mrakas, Because this really is the crux, we have a lot of townspeople who are confused that adding the fire station is going to be really expensive, and so I want to make it really clear in your design here you're talking about one bay a garage. Mayor Mrakas, yeah and 700 square feet of bedrooms. And so that doesn't seem very costly. So

Yeah. So thank you, Krista. It's my job to ask questions. So I appreciate you trying to answer for them. But this is my job. And there's been a lot of really, really contentious information about the option, quote unquote, to build the fire station in. So I'm not asking you. I'm asking him.

I would like to speak directly to the consultants that we hire as the council. OK, your job is to work for us, Krista. So I don't appreciate you interrupting me and coming in the middle of my questions for a consultant. They can answer to the council. I'm a council member. And I don't appreciate you getting in the middle of it. It's not your job or your role.

So I'm jumping in. I'm allowed to ask questions, Krista.

It's my job. Can we stop? Stop. Stop. Gensler, can you try to address Matt's question?

Mayor Mrakas, yeah The point i'm making is that with this program of potentially a garage which the cost per square foot, this is why you know you need people on this Council that build things.

because you can easily may have some this is not the time to campaign, it's not a campaign Julie, this is the cross of the matter Matt ask a question.

Why I would be a and what would be your cost estimate per square foot for the garage and what would be a an average cost per square foot for the bedroom square footage. because then I can easily calculate what this extra square footage costs.

So I have a follow-up to that. When you are prepared to do the cost estimates, I am assuming there's going to be two cost estimates, one without this space for the apparatus and the three bedrooms and then the other one would include those assuming that you know we would want to know the cost for fire going forward is that a correct assumption mayor if I if I may respond your question and ask for menon's and Letha's input on my response my understanding in terms of the scope of work that we've engaged with with

Okay. Any more questions from council members? Public comment on this item? Anyone in the chamber for public comment?

Thank you. Okay, anyone else in the chamber who wants to give public comment? Zach, anyone online?

City Council Chambers and Zach is there anyone else online no one online there okay so we'll bring it back for. discussion. City Council Chambers. I think we need to have guidance. My view is that I agree with what Dan said. I think we need to have two cost estimates. One with the space, the optionality for a fire station and then the other would be, you know, building out the three bedrooms and two bathrooms and the apparatus bay, et cetera. City Council Chambers, So that if down the road, we do somehow secure funding for the operations of a fire station, we will know what the magnitude of co

I just want to commend Gensler. I think you've done a lot of work. It's nice to see that we're moving ahead. I really appreciate it. And I really support that, the thought that went into the optionality.

I think it helps. It helps provide more information.

I mean, it almost feels like bait and switch here. I mean, we were in April looking at what I thought was a whole integrated building that did build out the space for the fire engine, maybe not equipped totally, but built it out. And that seemed to be the plan that people rallied around, that there was great support. for this beautiful building that had room for a fire station, not something in the future. And that community support made me think, gee, I think we can get a bond measure passed for this because this seems to work for everyone if we never get the funding you know we will use the

to a single estimate then I agree with the mayor and with you I don't think the cost of two could two different costs as much as I don't cost a ton of money it's going to be very little money to do the estimate yeah I'm not worried about the money to do the estimate I'm worried about the the optics of having two estimates and how that affects getting the bond measure passed in the sprint

I guess the flip side is there. I have heard from many people that they are concerned that we would go ahead and build out a fire station when we don't have the funding to operate a fire station. So I think the flip side is true also that there would be just as many people or many people who would vote against a bond if we were to propose having a fully outfitted fire station and space for a fire station when we don't yet have the operating operational funding. So I hear what you're saying, Elizabeth, in terms of jeopardizing the general obligation bond. But the flip side is true, too. There a

So I don't mind doing the costing because I think it's going to show really loud and clear that the quote unquote fire station is an immaterial cost because to build This apparatus apparatus bay, which seems to be the only major change, because the interior space will be repurposed for something else which costs money. it's nothing the station never should have been closed never because this is not this this has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that a fire station when you're already building a paramedic facility is really just about some extra bedrooms and a apparatus bay. That's what the qu

So I think staff, and Gensler probably have heard what the views are. Krista, are there any other issues, or Gensler, are there any other issues that you would like our feedback on?

My only comment slash question is I would love to get a copy of your PowerPoint so that I could see it

I see it absolutely absolutely that'd be helpful mayor we'll also we'll send it to the whole council and we'll also get it on our page on the on the town's website perfect thank you and thank you for all this excellent work it's really yeah I have one one additional comment on the you know now that we have a new fire chief or sorry police chief I I would hope that you know all the departments would have a view and be able to City Council Chambers, provide input for all of the different functions and make sure it's still meets the requirements, so I just would add, I want you to continue your w

Hasn't that already happened? Yes, that has already happened. That was one of our first exercise.

Yeah, and I would just add, once you actually start designing the spaces, then going to each of the departments and making sure, like, does this work for you? Like, would you, if you lived and worked in here, would this work for you? Yes. We want to do this right. We want to make sure that the building works as intended. And if that delays things, I think we're all okay with that because we want to make sure we're getting it right.

Okay. Yep. Okay, thank you, Team Gensler. Great job. Thank you. We'll see you again soon. And with that, our meeting is adjourned.