Minnehaha County Building Committee Minutes

Minnehaha County 

_______ Building Committee Minutes ___

THE MINNEHAHA COUNTY BUILDING COMMITTEE CONVENED AT 8:00 A.M. June 16, 2020, pursuant to adjournment on May 26, 2020. Committee Members present were: Barth, Bender, Beninga, Heiberger, Kriens, and Muller. Committee Members Karsky and Litz were absent.

MOTION by Beninga, seconded by Heiberger, to approve the May 26, 2020, Building Committee Meeting Minutes. 6 ayes.

Committee Member Litz joined the meeting via teleconference at 8:05 a.m.

CAPITAL PROJECTS

Kim Adamson, Finance & Budget Officer, gave a briefing on capital project considerations including bond issuance. Craig Dewey, Assistant Commission Administrative Officer, spoke on the contingency determination for the renovation of the Administration Building. The Committee directed the Auditor’s Office to determine the necessary steps to proceed with a capital projects bond issue and reach out to the County’s bond counsel to begin drafting a resolution for County Commission consideration.

FACILITIES CHILLERS

Mark Kriens, Facilities Director, gave a briefing on the replacement chillers and the bidding process for the design of the chillers. In response to a question from Committee Member Beninga, Drew DeGroot, Senior Deputy State’s Attorney, stated he would provide a legal opinion to the County Commissioners regarding the design study for the chillers. Kim Adamson, Finance & Budget Officer, provided a clarification regarding a time limit for the use of bond proceeds.

BRIDLEWOOD BARN

Mark Kriens, Facilities Director, gave a briefing on the deterioration and rotting of the Bridlewood Barn’s foundations located on the north side of the Fairgrounds Expo Building. The Committee discussed options for the building such as repairing the current structure, removing the structure and building new, or removing the structure and utilizing tents. The Committee directed staff to notify the Sioux Empire Fair Association that the Bridlewood Barn is not safe to use for the 2020 Fair, and to report back at the next Building Committee Meeting on the costs of each option discussed.

GRAVEL PIT

Craig Dewey, Assistant Commission Administrative Officer, gave an update on the County Gravel Pit by providing answers to questions posed during the previous Building Committee Meeting. If the Gravel Pit were to be sold by auction or sealed bid, the County Commission may set a floor for the sale price. The appraisal value of the land would be published along with the sale price through an auction or real estate broker and would not impact the County’s ability to sell the land when approving the sale price. Kyle Helseth, former Equalization Director and Appraisal Board Member, was contacted by Mr. Dewey and indicated that the Appraisal Board would likely feel comfortable setting an appraisal value if additional information was provided such as boring reports and a commercial real estate broker’s opinion. Additionally, it was recommended that a legal mechanism be utilized to ensure that the eventual sale of the Gravel Pit would not hinder the Sheriff’s Office’s ability to continue using their shooting range.

HIGHWAY FACILITY ARCHITECT

Craig Dewey, Assistant Commission Administrative Officer, presented the Highway Committee’s recommendation for an architect to provide the design for the Highway Facility. Two firms were chosen among twenty-two responses to provide a proposal and participate in an interview process. Following the review of the proposals and interviews, the Highway Committee recommended the ISG partnership with CBS Squared as the architecture and engineering firm. Mr. Dewey was directed to move forward with negotiations with ISG for architect services.

MOTION by Heiberger, seconded by Barth, to adjourn.  7 ayes.

APPROVED BY THE BUILDING COMMITTEE:

¬Jean Bender

Building Committee Chair

ATTEST:

Olivia Larson

Deputy Auditor

Published at the approximate cost of $38.68.

June 24, 2020