To: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Public Infrastructure, Department of Health Services, Sheriff’s Office
Staff Name and Phone Number: Johannes J. Hoevertsz-SPI, 707-565-2550; Tina Rivera-DHS, 707-565-4774; Heidi Keith-Sheriff’s Office, 707-565-2812
Vote Requirement: 4/5th
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Planning and Feasibility Study Funding for Proposed Public Health Lab & Morgue
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Adopt a Resolution authorizing a budget adjustment to the Fiscal Year 2022-23 Capital Project Adopted Budget in the amount of $5,778,100 for the proposed new Public Health Lab and Morgue (4/5th Vote Required).
B) Delegate authority to the Director of the Department of Public Infrastructure to execute a standard professional services agreement with COAR Design Group for architectural design services for the Public Health Lab and Morgue project, for $1,775,000, and subject to a 10% contingency for a total not to exceed amount of $1,952,500, in form approved by County Counsel.
C) Delegate authority to the Director of the Department of Public Infrastructure to execute task orders for any additional services under the subject contract and as-needed for the project, subject to availability of funding.
(4/5th Vote Required)
end
Executive Summary:
New Public Health Lab and Morgue facilities are recommended to replace the existing facilities located on the Chanate campus. A new, combined Public Health Lab and Morgue facility is being considered for construction on the Sonoma County Campus. COAR Design Group, a local architecture firm, previously rendered preliminary design and planning materials for the potential project. Further design and planning materials are now needed to complete remaining project analysis and development assessment. For continuity of design, cost savings, and time efficiencies given the planned delivery method for the project, COAR Design Group is recommended to be retained to finish out the remaining design and planning materials.
Programming of appropriations are being requested to continue the necessary planning, feasibility, and environmental analysis work for the potential project, including the costs for the work to be done by COAR Design Group. To meet those needs, staff recommends the Board authorize a budget adjustment in the amount of $5,778,100 from previously Board-approved funding in the Public Health & Morgue Relocation Capital Project budget. Board approved funding allocations include: $8 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds approved December 14, 2021; $9.76 million in FY 2020-21 available Year End General Fund savings; $10.2 million from the Chanate demolition set aside; and $200,000 included in the FY 2021-22 Capital Projects Budget. In addition, DHS was awarded $1,167,240 of ARPA funding through the California Department of Public Health.
The updated project cost estimate is $35.65 million. In addition to the $29.34 million in funding allocations secured, the FY 2023-24 Capital Projects Recommended Budget includes a contribution to the project budget of $1.12 million from General Fund resulting in a funding need of $5.18 million. Staff is reviewing options to address the remaining $5.18 million funding gap and will present recommendations for Board consideration during FY 2023-24 budget hearings.
Discussion:
The County’s Department of Health Services (DHS) Public Health Lab (hereinafter, “the Lab”) and the Sheriff’s Office Morgue, currently located on the Chanate campus, serve multiple jurisdictions, and both have sub-optimal size, ventilation, and electrical capacities. The deficiencies in the existing facilities were described in the Public Infrastructure (PI) Department request for ARPA funding. The sale of the Chanate campus included a requirement that the new owner lease back the existing facilities to the County for four years to allow sufficient time for the County to identify a new location and design and construct new facilities. The four-year window will expire in December 2026.
The current recommendation and program assumption is that the two facilities will be consolidated in order to achieve optimal design, construction, and operational efficiencies. The Lab and Morgue are both considered essential facilities, provide mandated services, and must be constructed to a higher building code standard. The functions share similar heating, ventilation, air condition, electrical systems, chain of custody, security, and other needs that influence design and construction. The combined area for the morgue and Lab facilities are approximately 23,000 square feet. There is precedence for combining these facilities, as demonstrated by Alameda County with the Peralta Oaks facility, which combines the Sheriff’s Criminalistics Lab, Morgue, and the Lab in one facility. As experienced in Alameda County, the benefits of a combined facility is the potential for shared scientific experiences and learning.
In addition to Sonoma County, the Lab and Morgue serve Lake, Mendocino and Humboldt counties under County agreements with those jurisdictions. The Lab provides fundamentally crucial human and environmental testing. In addition to COVID-19, the Lab tests and monitors a wide range of communicable diseases such as influenza, tuberculosis, whooping cough, sexually transmitted infections, and measles. Environmental services include testing local drinking water, river and ocean beaches, and farmed shellfish for fecal contamination; rabies testing; and testing ticks for Lyme disease. The Lab facilitates the interaction between the health care community and state and federal agencies for unusual and exotic diseases and provides training and reference testing to local clinical laboratories. The Lab plays a key role in public safety by providing infectious disease data for local health policy planning, and emergency testing support to first responders and Northern California clinical laboratories. The Lab is one of 4 laboratories in California that perform shellfish testing; one of California’s 14 CDC Laboratory Response Network-biological (LRN-B) labs; and the only local laboratory that performs dairy testing. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Morgue served an annual case load of 3,762 autopsies in FY 18-19.
With the sale of the Chanate campus, relocation of the Lab and Morgue is a top priority given the County currently only has rights to maintain the facilities in-place pursuant to the Chanate sale four-year leaseback arrangement, which after exercise of the existing extension option would expire on 12/23/2026.
In consultation with the Sheriff’s Office and DHS, Public Infrastructure’s staff began preliminary investigation of 13 sites including, multiple sites on the County Administration Campus, other County-owned properties, and leased alternatives. Potential sites were identified based upon site size, public access, site security, sufficient parking for specialized vehicles, and other considerations. The site initially considered was located at 1440 Neotomas Ave. in Santa Rosa. After development of a schematic design, a cost estimate was completed and came in at $45 million. The high cost in part was driven by the topography of the potential site, which would require an excessive amount of earthwork and retaining walls to be built. Due to the projected high costs for the Neotomas site, additional sites were considered. After considering various options, an empty lot on the County campus was considered the best alternative site worthy of further investigation. This site, located on the County Campus on Paulin Dr. just south of the Sheriff’s Office, has now been focused on for feasibility study, preliminary design, and other pre-project efforts.
Under a Master Services Agreement approved by the Board on February 9, 2021, for as-needed architectural and engineering services in support of capital projects at County owned and leased facilities, JKA Architecture (now COAR Design Group) was issued task orders for architectural services and initial design documents for the project, first using the Neotomas site as a potential location, and later using the County campus site. In developing both initial design plans, time and costs were incurred to develop, understand, and apply the County users program and project needs.
Time is of the essence for delivery of the Lab and Morgue project. Given the lease term (through December 2026) for the existing lab and morgue sites, the facilities will need to be relocated in the next three and a half years. Barring an extension of the lease or the disfavored option of an interim location for the facilities until this project is completed, this means a constrained time period for delivery of new facilities. To best deliver the project under such circumstances, the department is recommending a Construction Manager At-Risk delivery model, in which a general contractor will soon be procured to offer pre-construction support and consultation to the architectural designer. By having both services providers in place and working in conjunction early-on in the project and even during the remaining planning and feasibility phase, long-term efficiencies and expediting can be achieved if and when the actual construction project proceeds. Accordingly, and given the substantial program familiarity and design work already performed, a Single Source Waiver form has been approved for continuing to retain COAR Design Group to complete the remaining project design and other architectural needs.
The requested action to appropriate $5,778,100, is to provide funds to be used for furthering and completing project planning, feasibility, and site assessment work, including costs under the COAR Design Group contract and for further program and facility design, environmental assessment, and financial modeling.
As part of these efforts, proposed design and construction plans will be completed, and procurements will be undertaken to identify consultants and contractors for scopes such as constructability review and to deliver the project on time and within budget.
Table of Expenditures:
|
Construction Manager Fee |
$1,750,000 |
|
Pre-Construction Design Services |
$850,000 |
|
Construction Project Manager Services / Owner’s Rep |
$1,100,000 |
|
Architectural Design Services |
$1,775,000 |
|
Geotechnical Engineering Services |
$28,100 |
|
Survey |
$10,000 |
|
CEQA Process Fee |
$25,000 |
|
County Staff |
$150,000 |
|
Permits (PRMD, SRFD, BAAQMD) |
$60,000 |
|
County Counsel |
$30,000 |
|
TOTAL |
$5,778,100 |
The updated project cost is estimated at $35.65 million. The updated estimate reflects cost increases primarily due to the change in project delivery method to Construction Manager At-Risk as well as other costs not accounted for in the initial estimates presented to the Board in January 2022.
The total funding allocated for this project is $29,345,300. Of this amount, the Board has allocated a total of $28,178,060 for this project. The allocation includes: $8 million in ARPA funding approved on December 14, 2021, to enable staff to move forward with preliminary efforts for a new joint facility; $9,759,460 in FY 2020-21 available Year End General Fund savings; $10,218,600 from the Chanate demolition set aside; and $200,000 included in the FY 2021-22 Capital Projects Budget. In addition, DHS was awarded $1,167,240 of ARPA funding through the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) for major equipment and new construction of a public health laboratory. CDPH will reimburse the County for eligible project expenses. The total funding allocated for this project is $29,345,300.
Furthermore, the FY 2023-24 Capital Projects Recommended Budget includes $1.12 million from General Fund to contribute to the project budget, thus resulting in a funding need of $5.18 million necessary to fully finance the estimated $35.65 million project cost. Staff is reviewing options to address the remaining $5.18 million funding gap and will present recommendations for Board consideration as part of FY 2023-24 budget hearings.
Table for Project Budget:
|
Project Cost |
|
|
Total Expenditures |
$35,649,850 |
|
|
|
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
AARPA Funding (Approved 12/14/21) |
$8,000,000 |
|
General Fund Savings (FY 2020 - 2021) |
$9,759,460 |
|
Chanate Demolition - Cancelled |
$10,218,600 |
|
Capital Projects Budget 2021-2022 |
$200,000 |
|
ARPA Funds through CA Public Health to DHS* |
$1,167,240 |
|
Sub Total |
$29,345,300 |
|
|
|
|
FY 2023-24 Capital Projects Recommended Budget General Fund Contribution |
$1,124,326 |
|
|
|
|
Total Funding Sources |
$30,469,626 |
|
|
|
|
Funding Gap |
$5,180,224 |
|
|
|
*A separate Board action will be brought at future date to appropriate funds.
Project costs incurred to date total $383,000 for the preliminary studies and bridging documents as well as County’s staff time incurred in studying alternative sites.
Assuming project feasibility and adequate funding, later actions would include environmental review and determination as required under all applicable environmental laws, including CEQA, Board action on site selection, and Board award of project construction and other related contract(s).
The proposed lab and morgue facility is a health-critical project for a unique and distinct public need. The project is being designed, planned, financed, delivered, and constructed separate and independent from any other projects and proposals. The proposed lab and morgue facility is a self-contained and stand-alone project that is proposed to be delivered on a separate and expedited time frame. Other county projects are not being relied on for any purpose for the lab/morgue project, and the new lab and morgue (assuming continued feasibility and compliance with all applicable requirements) would be delivered regardless of any other proposals or projects.
Strategic Plan:
N/A
Prior Board Actions:
FY2021-22: Adopted Budget included $200,000 in funding for new PHL/Morgue Bridging Documents
FY2021-22: Approved consultant contract, transfer of $183,000 in ARPA funding, site analysis and acceptance of initial business plans for Public Health Lab and Morgue
Fiscal Summary
|
|
FY 22-23 Adopted |
FY23-24 Projected |
FY 24-25 Projected |
|
Expenditures |
|
|
|
|
Budgeted Expenses |
|
|
|
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
$5,778,100 |
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
$5,778,100 |
|
|
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
|
State/Federal |
|
|
|
|
Fees/Other |
|
|
|
|
Use of Fund Balance - Discretionary General Fund |
$5,778,100 |
|
|
|
Contingencies |
|
|
|
|
Total Sources |
$5,778,100 |
|
|
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
To date, the total project funding allocation is $29,345,300 for design and construction of a new Public Health Lab and Morgue facility. SPI Capital Projects is currently requesting $5,778,100 in available Public Health & Morgue Relocation Capital Project fund balance sourced from discretionary General Fund to be appropriated for additional feasibility, architectural design, and environmental work. Of this amount, the department projects incurring costs of approximately $350,000 in FY 2022-23. The balance of $5,428,100 will be appropriated in FY 2023-24 as part of the Capital Project Re-budget process which occurs in September each year.
Based on the results of this work, SPI Capital Projects will be returning to the Board for approval of site location, final design, and award of deliver and construction contract, as appropriate, at a future date.
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
Budget Resolution
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None