MINUTES OF THE INFORMAL MEETING OF THE JOHNSON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS:
APRIL 18, 2009
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Ribbon Cutting and Short Program for the New Health and Human Services Building
Chairperson Neuzil called the Johnson County Board of Supervisors to order in the Johnson County Health and Human Services Building at 1:08 p.m. Members present were: Pat Harney, Larry Meyers, Terrence Neuzil, Sally Stutsman, and Rod Sullivan.
Members of the public, and City of Iowa City and Johnson County officials arrived and mingled. Neuzil conferred with Sullivan and Facilities Manager David Kempf to decide whether to conduct the ribbon cutting outside or inside. Due to the inclement weather, they decided to have the ribbon cutting inside.
Neuzil gave welcome remarks. He said the Board is very excited to have everyone here today to see this incredible building and learn what great accomplishments were achieved. Neuzil introduced the Johnson County Board of Supervisors: Supervisors Sally Stutsman, Pat Harney, Rod Sullivan, and Larry Meyers. Neuzil also recognized the elected officials present: County Attorney Janet Lyness, County Recorder Kim Painter, and County Treasurer Tom Kriz. Neuzil also recognized State Senator Joe Bolkcom, State Senator Robert Dvorsky, City of Coralville Councilor John Lundell, Iowa City School District Board of Director's Member Patty Fields, and Iowa City Mayor Regenia Bailey.
Neuzil recognized Social Services Coordinator Amy Correia, who is also an Iowa City Council Member, Mental Health and Disabilities Services Director Kris Artley, Juvenile Court Services Supervisor Christopher Wyatt, Public Health Director Doug Beardsley, Health and Human Services Employee Karen Evans, Information Technology Director Jean Schultz, and Facilities Manager David Kempf. He said these aforementioned directors are the directors of services which are part of this new building. Neuzil introduced Kempf and said this has been a tremendous project and could not have been completed without him.
Kempf said the Board of Supervisors started discussing a County campus plan in 2000. A space needs study was completed and anyone who traveled to the other facilities the County used to occupy realized that space was limited and of poor quality. Kempf said that the nine departments that have moved into this building used to be scattered in seven different locations in Iowa City. The majority of those spaces were leased and the County owned only one of those properties. Kempf said his job as Facilities Manager is to assure a healthy work environment for employees and for patrons. He said it was a struggle for him to tolerate the previous work sites. Kempf complimented the Board of Supervisors for their forward thinking, setting aside the funds, and for proper planning to complete this building.
Kempf said during the years the departments were spread out in various locations around Iowa City, employee morale and productivity was low. Many members of the public depending upon these County services had to travel all around Iowa City, which was a hassle for them. With the new Health and Human Services Building, all services are under one roof. Kempf said the departments located in this building are Mental Health and Developmental Services, the Department of Human Services, Veteran's Affairs, Public Health, Juvenile Probation, General Assistance, Iowa City Empowerment, Information Technologies, and Facilities Management.
Kempf said he is very proud of the building as they were able to accomplish a lot at a very reasonable price. He said this is a very attractive, useful, and energy efficient building. Kempf said the posters hanging on the wall highlight the Green aspects of the building. The building has just received the energy study for LEED Certification. The building is at 23% efficient, which means it is 23% more efficient in energy consumption than a building built to ASHRAE or code standards. Kempf said he is very proud of this; it was a huge accomplishment.
Kempf said the building itself cost $9.6 million, and is roughly 83,000 square feet on three floors, the first two are finished and the third floor is for future expansion. He said the Board had enough foresight to plan an additional 1/3 space for future expansion. The parking ramp is two levels with 226 spaces. Kempf said the footings and pilings are in place to enable future expansion to a third level. Ramp and site work around the building cost $3.5 million and the land purchase price was approximately $4 million. Kempf said in the building alone, the cost is about $135 per square foot. He said by today's standards, this is phenomenal. This is a true testament to Novak Design Group Architects Gary Landhauser and Jim Novak.
Kempf said the building is LEED registered and they are fairly confident the building will receive Silver Certification. There are very few facilities of this size that are LEED certified without extraordinary costs associated with them. Kempf said the Board deserves accolades for being a leader in the community to help the County move towards this certification.
Kempf introduced Lead Architect Gary Landhauser. Landhauser said on behalf of Novak Design Group, he thanked the Board of Supervisors for trusting Novak with the design of the facility. He said they are very proud of the building. Landhauser said the Health and Human Services Building began as an idea, which became a vision, which became a reality. He said they can have all the plans in the world, but to make them a reality requires everyone's participation and vision. Environmental friendliness of the new Health and Human Services Building demonstrates the County's dedication to sustainable design and energy efficiency. Landhauser said the report from the Wiete Group (an energy modeling company) suggested the County will save about $15,000 annually on utility costs.
Landhauser said on a project this size it took many individuals to bring this building to fruition. He recognized his business partner, Jim Novak, who initiated the project along with Novak staff Landon Burg, Mitch Bloomquist, Gabe Julich, and Hannah Egli who worked tirelessly from the inception, through schematic design, to the selection of colors and furnishings. Landhauser also mentioned Consultant Paul Holland with MMS Engineering, who was responsible for the civil engineering and site work, MB Structural Engineers, and the Gessner Group, who was responsible for the mechanical and electrical design.
Landhauser personally thanked and acknowledged Kempf for his involvement and dedication in this successful endeavor. He said Kempf has always had Johnson County's best interest in mind and the decisions Kempf made were solely for the benefit of the County. Landhauser said he appreciates Kempf's candor and guidance throughout the project. He said Kempf's foresight and that of the Board of Supervisors resulted in the project design which allows for future expansion and growth. Landhauser said the Health and Human Services Building is a striking example of good value and planning that the citizens of Johnson County expect in a public building.
Neuzil then said that former Supervisor's Carol Thompson and Mike Lehman deserve mention on this day, because they were a part of the County’s strategic planning and the initial process of acquiring the property. He then introduced Congressmen Dave Loebsack.
Congressmen Loebsack thanked the group for the invitation and thanked district representative David Leshtz for keeping him on track. He said it is great to be attending this event and thanked the public for attending the Open House. Loebsack said just about everyone in the room who knows him, knows that the services provided by the County through the Health and Human Services Building are near and dear to his heart. He said these services are his top priority. Loebsack said a lot of what he does in Congress is connected to what's done here in this building. He said that in these difficult times people are struggling day in and day out just to make ends meet. He recognized that many people here today see those people on a daily basis and provide essential services. Loebsack said he understands the stresses and strains of Health and Human Services budgets and the enormous strain that citizens are facing every day. He said even though people are making the tough decisions between paying the light bill or taking their child to the doctor, he thinks people are optimistic about an economic turnaround.
The lights temporarily shut off and then on again. Kempf said the lights automatically shut off every two hours on the weekends. Loebsack continued with his remarks. Loebsack said the brochure handed out at the Open House is wonderful and educational. He said being Green is going to be the norm sooner than later. He said he is pushing hard in Congress for Green Initiatives. He said he is a founding member of a new caucus, the Sustainable Energy and Environmental Caucus and they are pushing as hard as they can to Green the country as much as possible. Loebsack thanked the Board for inviting him to the Open House and asked constituents to stay in touch with his office through David Leshtz, and to let them know what help they may be able to provide at the Federal level.
Neuzil said that the Board wanted to identify a way to build this type of project without having to request an additional bond or sales tax. To that end, the Board of Supervisors started saving for the facility in 2001. He said that by 2010, the land and building will be completely paid off. This could not have been accomplished without great planning from County Treasurer Tom Kriz, Budget Coordinator Richard Claiborne and the staff in the Auditor's Office. Obviously, none of this could have been done without the property taxpayers who have so graciously allowed the County to pay this off and still live within the capped budget.
Neuzil thanked Congressmen Loebsack for his support and said now the Board is ready to move to the next phase of this project which is updating the County Administration Building. With the help of Loebsack, the County received a $237,000 stimulus grant specifically for energy efficiency which they will apply towards the updates to the County Administration Building.
Neuzil said Governor Chet Culver was invited to the Open House but he had another commitment in Cedar Rapids. Neuzil read the following from a letter from Culver:
"Dear Friends, On behalf of the State of Iowa we would like to congratulate you on the opening of the new Johnson County Health and Human Services Building. This is an exciting day for Johnson County. We are certain this new building will enable you to continue your unyielding and dedicated efforts that produce important services for Iowans.
With the opening of this new facility, offices previously located all over Iowa City are now conveniently located in this one building. Now the offices of DHS, Public Health Department, Juvenile Court Offices, Mental Health and Disability Services, General Relief, Veteran's Affairs, and Information Technology will all be under one roof. Your hard work that has gone into planning this building is demonstrated today with this opening, and we are grateful for your commitment to Iowans.
We are also very pleased to know that the building is going to be LEED certified. This is an important step towards an energy efficient and environmentally friendly Iowa. Again, congratulations on the opening of this new facility. We commend you on your work and wish you the best of luck as you strive to make Iowa a better place for everyone. Sincerely, Governor Culver and Lieutenant Governor Patty Judge.”
Neuzil introduced Iowa City Mayor Regenia Bailey. Bailey said it is an honor to be at the opening of this building. All the citizens of Iowa City and Johnson County can be very proud of this building and proud of the vision of the Board of Supervisors, who put the County on a course to build this building. Bailey said the success of this project required pulling together departments from across the city. She said this is a great use of taxpayer dollars to go from leasing to owning, and that is impressive.
Bailey said she thinks it is terrific the County is applying for Silver LEED certification. She said the Green approach is increasingly being embraced but sometimes it is a challenge to step into the LEED certification. Bailey said it will be so helpful that Johnson County has led the way as other buildings come on line for other public entities. It takes great vision to use energy efficiently and reduce operating costs, two challenges facing government budgets every year.
Bailey said the ability for future onsite expansion is also commendable. She said this is thoughtful planning. Bailey said the City of Iowa City has very exciting plans for this area and the area south of Burlington Street. The City was so happy to work with the County as this building went up and they are excited to have this building here to lead the way for revitalization. Bailey thanked the Board for including her in this Open House ceremony and gave congratulations to the Board.
Neuzil recognized State Representative Mary Mascher in attendance and North Liberty City Council Member Gerry Kuhl.
Neuzil invited the members of the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce to come forward. Neuzil thanked Chamber President Nancy Quellhorst for allowing the Chamber Ambassadors to be here today. Chamber members then stretched a ribbon across the room for the ribbon cutting ceremony. Guests in attendance took pictures and then members of the Board of the Supervisors cut the ribbon.
Neuzil thanked guests for attending and invited everyone to enjoy refreshments in the conference room and to tour the building. Guests mingled throughout the building, some dispersed to the conference room for refreshments while others toured the building.
Adjourned at 4:00 p.m.
______________________________________________________________________
Attest: Tom Slockett, Auditor
By:
On the _______ day of _____________________, 2009
By Nancy Tomkovicz, Recording Secretary
Sent to the Board of Supervisors on July 2, 2009.