Presentation to City Council: Follow Up to Public Works Building FCA

On May 21, 2024, City staff presented the City Council with a follow-up to the Facilities Conditions Assessment and related studies of the Public Works building.

At the February 6, 2024 City Council meeting, City staff presented initial findings from the FCA and a high-level overview of the potential repairs and investments necessary to keep the Public Works building operational (see AB 6402). These include both critical systems repairs and basic safety, efficiency, and comfort centered upgrades. At the May 21, 2024 City Council meeting, City staff finalized the FCA report and presented initial findings from a detailed seismic analysis of the building.

While the results of these studies confirm the functional obsolescence of the existing Public Works building, it remains necessary to operate the facility for approximately five years while a new building and yard is designed, funding is secured for construction, and the project is completed. Near-term issues that will be addressed include:

• Completely remove the existing green roof and accumulated soil.
• Install anchoring between the walls and the wood diaphragms at the two higher level roofs (the second-floor office space and high bay garage).
• Install a subsurface concrete-grade beam along the exterior at each end of the high-bay garage doors.
• Retrofit numerous unbraced interior CMU (concrete masonry unit) walls throughout the building.
• Provide additional fire extinguishers or extinguishing systems throughout the building.
• Include fall restraint guards at the Public Works building and select outbuildings.
• Apply safety film to existing wired glass windows to prevent shattering.

City staff have started to address the priorities identified in the report to extend the useful life of the Public Works Building. Funding recommendations for the identified capital projects will be included for consideration this fall as part of the Biennial Budget Development process.

If occupancy of the Public Works building is anticipated to exceed five years, the next set of investments will be significant. Construction costs are expected to increase, and upgrades to meet current code requirements will become necessary, further expanding the cost of operating this facility at a minimally functional level.

You can view the discussion and review the presentation here.