Bettisworth North Architects, Inc. has been awarded a contract not to exceed $338,167 to plan and design a new Haines Borough Public Safety Building as part of the assembly’s ongoing quest to bring the project to a “shovel-ready” stage. The assembly unanimously adopted a resolution Tuesday approving the contract.
“Shovel-ready” means the design, permitting and preparation for the project is complete, and it’s ready to advertise for construction bids. It’s easier to secure outside funding for shovel-ready projects, according to borough public facilities director Ed Coffland. In total, the design and construction of a new public safety building could cost as much as $20 million.
A committee of borough staff and assembly members selected Bettisworth North from among 15 applicants. The conceptual design phase will be funded using money set aside for improvements to the building.
To complete the design, Bettisworth North representatives will conduct interviews with building users to establish a list of requirements for the new building. The company will also assess potential locations for the building, taking into consideration pros and cons, including the geography of the area.
With this information in hand, Bettisworth North representatives will meet over Zoom with the borough’s public safety building committee to create a floor plan and early designs.
“We anticipate developing two options for the design, making a presentation on those, and then (moving) forward with one of the two options,” Bettisworth North principal Roy Rountree said in a Sept. 23 letter to Coffland. “Once we have a schematic complete, we envision another in-person trip to Haines to present the design to the users and the assembly.”
Rountree said the company plans to solicit community input throughout the process.
At Tuesday’s meeting, newly elected borough officials raised questions about the contract, though they ultimately voted to approve it.
“I do think that we need to get moving on this. My only minor thing is that I would like to see some sort of confirmation about a plan for community engagement,” assembly member Caitie Kirby said, noting a lack of specifics about how community engagement will work and how much it will cost.
Assembly members Gabe Thomas, Jerry Lapp and Paul Rogers said it was important to approve the contract to get the project moving as soon as possible. The borough has been in need of a new public safety building for some time.
“The (public safety building) is in a state of disrepair. The building infrastructure is failing, and the departments who use the building have outgrown the footprint of the building, and local electricians have refused to work on the failing electrical system,” a summary in Tuesday’s assembly packet states.
The contract specifies that Bettisworth North must complete work by Dec. 31, 2021.
Mayor Douglas Olerud said he had concerns about using money intended for building maintenance to contract for a conceptual design.
“This is not a design. It’s just a conceptual idea. This is just the first step. We’re probably two years out from (being shovel ready),” Olerud said. “If we take the maintenance money out and we do this planning, and we don’t get the money to build it, how do we do maintenance on the existing building?”
Assembly members are scheduled to tour the public safety building to view its condition on Nov. 18 at 6:30 p.m.