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DeKalb County, Illinois |
Minutes of the DeKalb County
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Printable Document (.pdf)
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DEKALB COUNTY PUBLIC BUILDING COMMISSION A MUNICIPAL CORPORATION AND BODY POLITIC ORGANIZED PURSUANT TO THE “PUBLIC BUILDING COMMISSION ACT.” ILLINOIS REVISED STATUTES 1977 CHAPTER 85, SECTIONS 1031 THROUGH 1054 CHAPTER 85, SECTIONS 1031 THROUGH 1054AND CURRENTLY UNDER ILLINOIS COMPILED STATUTES 50 ILCS 20/1 et seq. MEETING OF TUESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2007 A regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners of the DeKalb County Public Building Commission (hereinafter “Commission”) was held Tuesday, January 9, 2007 at 8:30 A.M. in the Freedom Conference Room of the DeKalb County Government Legislative Center, pursuant to written notice of each Commissioner as required by the By-Laws. ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order by Chairman Robert Hutcheson at 8:30 A.M. Commissioners present were Chairman Hutcheson, Mr. Cliff Seldal, Mr. Robert Morrison, and Dr. Richard Baker, Mr. Beryl Smith was absent. Also present were Mr. Gary Hanson and Mr. Ken Campbell. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made by Mr. Morrison and seconded by Dr. Baker to approve the minutes of the Special Meeting held on Friday, July 21, 2006. Motion carried unanimously by a voice vote. APPROVAL OF AGENDA A motion to approve the agenda as printed was made by Mr. Seldal and seconded by Mr. Morrison. Dr. Baker requested that two additional items be added to the agenda as follows: 1. Publication of Minutes and 2. Status Report of Projects. Mr. Hanson asked if Dr. Baker’s item number 2 is different than item number 6 currently on the agenda. Dr. Baker responded that it is. Chairman Hutcheson stated that “Status Report of Projects” would become item 8A and “Publication of Minutes” would become item 9 and Adjournment would become item 10. The agenda was unanimously approved as amended by a voice vote. ELECTION OF OFFICERS Chairman Hutcheson stated we are required annually to hold an election of officers of the Public Building Commission consisting of the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary and a motion for each of those officers would be in order. Mr. Seldal nominated Robert Hutcheson as Chairman and Mr. Morrison seconded the nomination. There being no other nominations, Mr. Seldal requested the Secretary cast a unanimous ballot for Mr. Hutcheson. Mr. Morrison nominated Beryl Smith for the office of Vice Chairman, Mr. Seldal seconded the nomination. No other nominations were made. Motion unanimously approved by a voice vote. Mr. Seldal made the motion that the positions currently being held by Gary Hanson as Treasurer and Mary G. Simons as Secretary remain as they are and as in the past to request the Secretary to cast a unanimous ballot on behalf of the members. The motion was seconded by Mr. Morrison and carried unanimously by a voice vote. STATUS OF MAJOR PROJECTS FOR FY 2006 Mr. Hanson requested that Mary Simons give an update on the status of the renovation currently taking place in the Circuit Clerk’s first floor offices. Ms. Simons reported that this is a lengthy project and has been complicated by the fact that we are attempting to modernize an office located in a 100 year old building and not destroy its historic appearance. We have provided more efficient work spaces for the staff and created a new file room containing a filing system that condenses the files and better utilizes the space. With the reconfiguration of the furniture, we have created two additional work stations. The completion date of the entire project should be the middle of February. We also converted the old “vault” area located on the 2nd floor of the Courthouse into a file room and installed the same type system there. The file systems we replaced in both offices were scattered throughout their office space and were 20 plus year old systems for which we were unable to get parts or to repair. Both offices now contain separate file rooms and the systems provide additional filing space in each office. Mr. Campbell reported that the panic alarm system throughout the County was updated this last year. He added that we replaced every panic alarm in every location in the buildings. He added that it is now a wireless system and it goes through a monitoring station, it actually goes to “Simplex” which will notify our 911 Center when a panic alarm comes up. Mr. Campbell stated that the sealing and re-striping of the parking lots was done except for the lot area where the tower is located. He added that Kevin Hickey is going to have the people who built the tower do that lot in the spring of this year. Mr. Campbell reported that the boiler replacement project went smoothly and we came in under budget, however not all the numbers are in from Wold. He added that we did not spend the full $45,000 and anticipates it will be closer to $40,000. Mr. Campbell said the fire alarm system in the Public Safety Building was replaced last year and that 5 jail doors were totally rebuilt with new mechanics, new motors and controls. He added that we completed Phase 2 of the carpeting in the Courthouse spending $39,500 of the $40,000 budgeted and will complete the final phase this year. Mr. Campbell said in 2007 our projects are: to caulk the concrete panels on the exterior of the Public Safety Building and also to caulk the porcelain covered metal on the Administration Building. He added that the fire alarm system in the Administration Building will be replaced, a de-humidifier will be installed in the Public Defender’s area, and the jail door upgrade and Courthouse carpet replacement will continue. The Chairman asked if there were any questions for Ken. Mr. Morrison asked if Ken felt things are going pretty well. Mr. Campbell responded that he felt we finally seem to be caught up on projects, that we are up to speed and can better manage things. Mr. Hanson reported that the dismantling of the 2nd tower should occur today or tomorrow, and the new tower has been fully operational for some time. Mr. Seldal asked how many users are located on the tower. Mr. Hanson replied just ourselves (County) U.S. Cellular and Verizon. Mr. Hanson added that removal of the old tower was delayed until Chief Deputy Hickey was assured that everything is in proper working order. Mr. Hanson explained that having the tower on our property is very good for the County since we will be getting $40,000 to $50,000 in rental fees and we did not have to pay for the tower. FY 2006 YEAR END BUDGET TRANSFERS Mr. Hanson reported that the first item on the budget transfers (attached as Exhibit “A”) was from the General Fund to Commodities and Services for the tower for which we think Roger will be reimbursed. The second item the Capital Improvement Reserve is our reserve that funds our Renewal and Replacement fund and also the interest earned on that money is placed into the renewal and replacement fund. However, the auditors require that it initially be placed in the Capital Improvement Reserve and then transferred back into the Renewal and Replacement fund. Dr. Baker asked if the $90,000. represents just one year of interest. Mr. Hanson responded affirmatively. Mr. Seldal made a motion to approve the year end budget transers. Mr. Morrison seconded the motion which unanimously passed by a voice vote. FY 2007 BUDGET Mr. Hanson distributed copies of the 2007Budget (attached as Exhibit “B”) and explained that the PBC budget is dictated by the funds that the County gives us. The biggest number as shown on the report is item number 5 designated for the Community Outreach Building for which construction is scheduled to begin this summer. Mr. Seldal asked who the Architect is. Mr. Hanson replied that it is Wold Architects and Engineers. Dr. Baker asked when prints will be available. Mr. Hanson responded that they are due at the end of January or early February and our hope is to bid the project by March. Mr. Hanson added that we plan to start construction by this summer and complete the project by the summer or fall of 2008 because that’s when the lease for Home Health Care is up with the hospital. Mr. Seldal asked where Home Health Care is now located. Mr. Hanson responded that they are on Sycamore Road next to the new hospital. Dr. Baker asked if this is the project where the participants are contributing funds. Mr. Hanson responded affirmatively and added it was complicated to put it all together because of the number of players involved. Mr. Hanson explained that Home Health was the driving force and the others are the Veterans Commission, the Mental Health Board and the Regional Office of Education. Mr. Hanson said that all of those participants are now located in rented space. He added that Maureen Josh, the Circuit Clerk is also contributing funds for the general storage area of this new facility. A general discussion regarding the pro’s and cons of using a geothermal system took place. It was noted that the County Board had provided the funds to be a Geo-Thermal system in the new building Dr. Baker inquired how much land will the County have available at this site after construction of this building. Mr. Hanson explained that in addition to the Community Outreach building there is an assisted living facility to be constructed on Lot 1 of Windsong Acres partnered by the County with a private company. He added that a garage will be constructed on the property with Home Health which was requested by Mr. Campbell to accommodate equipment and supplies for the Facilities Management Office. That will leave two large lots left for future use. Dr. Baker asked about the expenses for the Health Facility Renewal/Replacement being only $36,000. Mr. Hanson explained that we are setting aside money for renewal and replacement items such as air conditioning etc. He added that we are accumulating the money so we will have it when needed. Dr. Baker asked if the revenues are all from property tax revenues. Mr. Hanson responded that Item 3 “Operating Leases” is from property taxes and those leases run the Sycamore Campus and the Health Facility Campus except for the Nursing Home. He added that approximately $250,000 of the Sinking Fund is from property tax and that comes from the Nursing Home. Dr. Baker asked if renewal and replacement comes from property taxes. Mr. Hanson responded the renewal and replacement is a contribution from the County and from interest money from the County which may or may not be property tax. He added that the funds from the Health Facility is probably three-fourths property tax. Mr. Hanson stated that for the Public Safety Building we are using the Opportunity Fund from the County which is sales tax money from the County Farm site where Market Square Shopping Center is located. Dr. Baker, referring to the interest on indebtedness located on page B-4, inquired if bonds were issued during 2005. Mr. Hanson responded that the 1997 bonds were re-funded in 2005. Dr. Baker asked the length of the term. Mr. Hanson replied it is 2016 or 2017. Dr. Baker commented that the $337,000 seems low. Dr. Baker then asked for clarification on item 7845 on page B-6 ((Fire Alarm/Sprinkler Update) and also asked about the location of the Nature Trail. Mr. Hanson responded that the sprinkler was done in 2004 and now it is for the Administration Building. He added that the Nature Trail is located at the Health Facility Complex adjacent to the Nursing Home parking lot and encompasses the wetlands which is actually owned by the City of DeKalb for which we have an intergovernmental agreement. Mr. Hanson added that this year when we build the Community Outreach Building we plan to build a path around the perimeter of the campus. Dr. Baker made a motion to accept the FY 2007 Budget. The motion was seconded by Mr. Morrison and passed unanimously by a voice vote. TIME LINE: COMMUNITY OUTREACH BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Mr. Hanson reported that we hope to finish with the drawings by early February, get approval and then send out for bid by March. He said one of the questions the last time we went out for bid was how we wanted to handle the bidding process. Mr. Hanson explained that the Commissioners wanted to structure the process so that we would know who all the subcontractors are. Mr. Seldal stated that it was discussed that we wanted all the trades to bid first so that we could assign them to the general contractor. He added that otherwise the general could play one against the other, indicating we had that happen on some of our other building projects. Chairman Hutcheson stated that part of the problem had been that the general would begin bidding the project and would not have a single sub lined up. Dr.Baker asked if that would mean we would be responsible for each one of the subs and if there was a problem would it come here and not to the general. The Chairman stated that we would like to know who the subs are going to be when we bid it. Mr. Seldal stated that he has seen projects where the trades are bid first and a week later you bid the general, that way the general knows ahead of time who they will be working with. Mr. Seldal explained it could also be reversed bidding the general first and then the trades. Mr. Seldal offered to look into the process and talk with the some of the major subs to see how it is being handled. Mr. Seldal stated that he thought this Commission needed to be more involved during construction by periodically going to the building site to avoid some of the problems we have had when we built the Nursing Home. A lengthy discussion regarding responsibilities of subcontractors, general contractors and architect took place. The Chairman asked if there were any other issues regarding the Community Outreach Building. Ms. Simons reported that there is an issue regarding the sanitary sewer line on the property where the new building is to be constructed. She said a permit issued by the IEPA was issued to the PBC as owner and operator of the sanitary sewer pipe that was installed in the easement and because multiple properties will be tributary to the sewer we will need a document dedicating that portion of the pipe to the Sanitary District. Ms. Simons stated that with the Commissioners’ permission she will proceed with working with the State’s Attorney’s office to get a document drafted. Mr. Seldal asked what is the progress on the construction of the Assisted Living Facility to be located on Lot 1. Mr. Seldal recalled that we included a reversionary clause in the deed for the property to revert back to the PBC if construction was not started by a certain time. Mr. Seldal requested a status report for the construction at our next meeting. Ms. Simons said that she would report back to the Commissioners. Mr. Seldal made a motion for Ms. Simons to proceed to work with the States Attorney to draft a document to resolve the issue with the Sanitary District. Mr. Morrison seconded the motion and it passed unanimously by a voice vote. Mr. Hanson asked the Commissioners if they want to review the color of the facade of the building prior to going out for bid. A discussion occurred regarding the size and type of the building, number of stories, type of roof etc. Dr. Baker asked about the timeline. Mr. Hanson responded he would like to have it bid by March but April is more likely. PUBLICATION OF MINUTES Dr. Baker asked if there is a possibility to post the minutes of the Commission, perhaps somewhere on the County’s’ website or to provide copies to the members of the County Board. Mr. Hanson responded that if that is the wishes of the Commission we could certainly do that. It is a question of how much should be shared with the public. Dr. Baker stated that he felt the minutes should go to the members of the County Board or at least to the Chair of the County Board. Dr. Baker commented that because of discussion on matters on timing, etc, perhaps a summary could be posted. Chairman Hutcheson explained that in the past there was a great deal of micro management from the board and it was not productive for board members who do not have the background or knowledge to question decisions made but rather those decisions should be the full responsibility of the Commission. STATUS REPORT OF PROJECTS Dr. Baker stated that even though we have verbal status reports of the PBC projects he would prefer to have a written update on major projects. He added that he is interested in various projects and how we are doing, but in a written form and would like to have it mailed out with the meeting packet. Mr. Hanson said he would provide a written report perhaps in a chart form. The Chairman stated that Mr. Campbell gives reports not only for facilities projects but also PBC projects to the County Board through a Power Point presentation. Dr. Baker stated he would like to see a report of the activities and projects done by the PBC given to the County Board and suggested it could be in the form of an administrative letter rather than a formal report. Dr. Baker stated he would also like to tour the various buildings under the jurisdiction of the PBC. Mr. Hanson agreed that it does help when you see the buildings first hand. He added most staff members are very proud of their areas and generally are very willing to show them. Arrangements will be made for Dr. Baker to tour the facilities. Mr. Seldal asked if we are going to set a time for the next meeting or will it be the call of the Chair. Mr. Hanson suggested that we just leave it open at this time. He added it would probably be on a Tuesday but not necessarily the first Tuesday of the month. Mr. Hanson asked if Wednesdays would also work for the Commissioners. It was agreed that Wednesday meetings are also satisfactory. Chairman Hutcheson stated that there have been some complaints that the landscaping and plants for the grounds are being purchased from outside of the County. Mr. Campbell stated that he can purchase them within DeKalb County. Mr. Campbell stated that if price and quality is not a concern he can buy anywhere. Dr. Baker stated that price and quality are the concern. He added that if a local nursery can trump the price that’s where we should go. Mr. Seldal agreed with Dr. Baker that we should go with local where possible. Mr. Campbell said he would be open to that. ADJOURNMENT Chairman Hutcheson stated that if there is no other business to come before the Commission, he would ask for a motion to adjourn. The motion was made by Mr. Seldal and seconded by Mr. Morrison. Motion carried unanimously by a voice vote. Meeting adjourned at 9:47 A.M. Robert Hutcheson, Chairman Mary G. Simons, Secretary DeKalb County Public Building Commission’ Tuesday, January 9, 2007 Page 5 of 5 Commissioner Expiration of Term Office Original Appointment Mr. Robert Hutcheson September 30, 2009 Chairman January 16, 1991 Mr. Beryl Smith December 01, 2010 September 30, 2000 Dr. Richard Baker September 30, 2011 September 30, 2005 Mr. Cliff Seldal September 30, 2007 Vice Chairman September 16, 1992 Mr. Robert Morrison September 30, 2008 July 17, 2002 Non-Commissioner: Ms. Mary G. Simons September 30, 2007 Secretary March 7, 2000 Mr. Gary H. Hanson September 30, 2007 Treasurer February 18, 1984 |
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