HomeMy WebLinkAbout112123 email New Aquatic Center BOCC Meeting ReviewALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
Hello Commissioners Dean, Eisenhour, and Brotherton,
I have reviewed the proposed current facilities design plans and cost estimation spreadsheets provided to the City of Port Townsend by Opsis Architecture and DCW Cost Management. Based
on my over 40 years of construction experience and 28 years as a general contractor performing both public and private works contracting, on commercial, industrial, municipal, agricultural,
and residential projects, I feel that the estimated "for-construction" budgeted amount provided by DCW is low by possibly as much as 35% to 40%. I do not see Architectural and Engineering
design costs, hazardous material abatement costs associated with the proposed demolition, or permitting costs. These large omissions to the cost-to-build spreadsheets lead me to believe
that there are potentially other significant omissions as well.
Who is going to pick up the tab for the likely construction-cost overruns? Who will serve as the backstop to service the debt to the creditors if more monies are needed to finish building
the facility, and maybe even more importantly, provide for more monies for the facility's continued operations if there are shortfalls there as well? The answer is, the property tax
payers of Jefferson County. So, as the property tax payers are likely to end up on the hook for this project regardless, especially as it is currently proposed, why not reconsider funding
this project through Jefferson County Parks and Recreation as a Municipal Parks District? This way you won't need to hit the tax payers up for the $110K ballot measure either, as this
taxing district is already in place.
More due diligence needs to be reviewed regarding updating and upgrading the existing facility. If every time we hear that we need something new to replace what is currently there, we
wouldn't have the courthouse, or the post office, or the Carnegie building at the PT library, or even most of the structures on Water Street. I have elaborated on this in a previous
email.
Finally, if we do need to build anew, why not build the new aquatic center in the centrally located Port Hadlock/ the Tri-Area, which will be/ is the hub for growth and economic development
in the county for years to come? Don't build the "Taj Mahal" either, as is represented in the currently proposed facility design. Think about function over form. People are not coming
to admire the architecture, they are coming to swim and to be active. If you do this, you will get buy-in from most if not all the residents of Jefferson County, which will also inspire
continued inter-agency and private sector support as well.
The optics for what is currently being proposed really only looks like just another high-end bells-and-whistles project that will primarily and most effectively benefit the people who
live within the City of Port Townsend, or at least within a 10 to15 minute drive from the current site. I have elaborated on all of this in a previous email that I have sent for your
review. I'm just trying to summarise to be considerate of your reading time with this current correspondence.
Thank you for your hard work and consideration regarding this important decision. Please do not move forward with the PFD formation resolution or any part of this new aquatic center
issue until more continued thoughtful considerations for the proposed new aquatic center are addressed and resolved. The need to rush these decisions just to meet some suggested grant
funding cycle is just promoting an effort to be potentially fiscally irresponsible for the long term. I am sure there will be more grant cycles in the future; there always are! Just
so that everyone is aware, if the trigger was pulled today to have a new aquatic center built, especially at the current site and with the current design, it will be three years, realistically
5 years before someone is going for a swim. Votes need to be taken, funding still has to be addressed, design needs to happen, permitting, then construction; this point needs to be
clarified to the public.
Sincerely,
Mark L Grant
Mobile - 360-301-4340 <tel:360-301-4340>
E-mail - grantsteelbuildings@gmail.com <mailto:grantsteelbuildings@gmail.com>