Public Safety Headquarters Project Features Deleted, Cost Rises to $6.1 Million
By: Jose G. Landa, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2015
Eagle Pass Fire Chief Sonny Mello and City Manager Gloria Barrientos presented City Council the latest changes to the proposed Public Safety Headquarters project design and construction discussed at the last committee meeting and after reviewing the project designs from the architectural firm of Gignac & Assoicates at their regular meeting held on August 4, 2015
Both Mello and Barrientos presented City Council with certain changes to be done on the ongoing design and future construction of the Public Safety Headquarters project.
Council and administration proceeded to discuss the scope of the already approved option No.3, which originally had an expense of $5.3 million dollars, under agenda item No. 28 which called for the possible approval of the Schematic Design for the Public Safety Headquarters, and the cost of work.
Chief Mello presented the details on the schematic design of option No.3 to City Council. Mello stated that there had been some changes as they had added some features within the price range set under option No.3.
“There is going to be a minimal fee as to the pricing of the private fencing that had been discussed, we also did move some offices around. There were some electrical issues that we wanted to discuss and some minor additions within the same price,” said Mello to City Council. “Those are the changes as of right now,” added Mello.
City Council asked for clarification if those were considered changes to the schematic design set under option No.3.
“They are interior changes,” replied Mello.
Mello pointed what option No.3 would consist of including a reduction of size and the adding of one of the first proposed options, which is a Sally Port (secure entrance).
Mello stated that they had received the floor plans as of last week.
“The changes that were made are to the floor plan and not to the schematic design itself,” said Mello.
Mello stated that representatives of Gignac & Associates Architects would be coming back to sit down and discuss the changes before being presented to the City Council for approval of the finished product before the building process commences.
Mello explained to City Council that the cost of construction for the public safety headquarters project was approximately $5.3 million dollars plus another $397,000 for the estimated architectural, engineering, and consulting fees and other expenses that are separate from the building project.
“One thing that we had not considered was generators, which we will be working on,” said Mello.
City Council and administration discussed the various changes being proposed and what would fall under the possible approval of agenda item No.24.
Barrientos read out a list of the options and amenities that would not be included under option No.3.
“It does not include a reduced size police department mechanical room, reduced size offices, fire station common use wellness center, exercise room with restrooms and overall alternate one, training tower, alternate 2, cover for police car units and alternate 3, a shooting range. These are the things that it doesn’t include,” said Barrientos to City Council.
“We are approving option No.3 with what was read,” said Barrientos.
City Council then continued to discuss the actual overall pricing of the Public Safety Headquarters with Mello and Barrientos.
“You are looking at $6.1 million total. The reason for that is we do have to have the special testing that was ordered. They are going to do the environmental testing and there is also some fees that we had not anticipated at the beginning and that raised the pricing a little bit,” said Mello to City Council.
Barrientos interjected and stated that the construction cost is at $5.3 Million dollars.
“Then we have the architect and engineering fess, construction manager fees which is about 9% of the construction project and we have an estimated superintendent fee of about $100,000,” said Barrientos.
Councilwoman Gloria E. Hernandez raised the issue that she would like for the construction manager to be more involved in presenting certain details of the project to the City Council as it had been established at the onset of the process.
“Next meeting, I am going to request that he shows up at the meeting and reports because we have an agreement with him and part of his job is to bring cost down,” said Hernandez.
Eagle Pass Mayor Ramsey English Cantu reiterated Hernandez’s statement that the construction manager’s obligatory duty is to give at least monthly reports to the city as to where the project is at.
Mayor Pro-Tem Rudy Villalpando raised the concern that the plans were not to include a training tower for the fire fighters and a shooting range for police officers.
Mello stated that they had left out the training tower and shooting range options to bring the price down and request the fire fighters and police officers to obtain these services on their own at their expense in order to save the City money on the total cost of the public safety project.
The City Council hired an Environmental Engineering firm to conduct an environmental study of the Texas National Guard Armory property and building before construction commences as an U.S. Environmental Protection Agency studies in 1993 and 1995 found hazardous and toxic levels of arsenic and beryllium at the site arising from a former fluorite processing plant and warehousing of said materials near or on the site. The City Council also hired a Construction Manager at the cost of 9% of the construction cost. The previously $5.3 Million cost to design and build the Public Safety Headquarters project has increased to $6.1 Million.
