On Tuesday, the Brentwood City Council will discuss allocating up to $100,000 to develop a plan for re-purposing the Brentwood Education & Technology Center into a facility focused on youth programing and services.
The item is coming before the council after the ad-hoc committee met on July 1 to set goals and determine the next steps. The committee asked staff to provide needs assessment data from previous Master Plan and Strategic Plan data; determine the annual building maintenance and utility costs; and inspect property and identify any potential repair projects.
The ad-hoc committee ruled out both the “CD Building” on Guthrie Lane as well as the Senior Activity Center for various reasons from size and locations.
The annual estimated cost to run the building if occupied is estimated at $250k and if unoccupied, would cost $125k. The building also has existing debt services requirements of approximately $246k.
According to the city:
Property Assessment: The Chief Building Official and other staff conducted a preliminary assessment of the building. It was determined that the HVAC units need to be replaced. The estimated replacement costs is$550,000 in the current building configuration. If the building layout is modified, these costs could increase due to additional ductwork. The facility will require accessibility improvements. Tenant improvements and accessibility improvement costs are estimated to cost approximately $400,000 (or more depending on the actual programming needs yet to be finalized). These costs are eligible expenses to be funded through the Facilities Replacement Fund.
The ad-hoc committee determined it was feasible to re-purpose the building for a focus on youth programming and services that will likely be phased over time. As part of their review, two scenarios were considered, including city operating or non-profit operating the youth center.
Staff Recommendation:
Staff recommends the Council provide direction to move forward with the further exploration of a youth center at the BETC, and next steps include:engaging with community stakeholders to address the community’s interest and programming needs; hiring an architect to review the facilities structure and potential renovations to maximize and customize the space and continuing the exploration of the most beneficial operational model including a City operational structure vs. and outside non-profit or public/private partnership.Staff recommends engaging an architectural firm in an amount not to exceed $100,000to create architectural drawings of facility renovations to accommodate the envisioned youth center.If authorization to proceed with further exploration is provided, staff would return to the City Council in early 2021 with a thorough operational and facility plan for consideration.
FISCAL IMPACT
Staff prepared the FY 2020/21 Operating Budget assuming the BETCwould only be occupied by REACH and Delta Community Services, who utilize a small portion of the facility. The estimated annual carrying cost of the facility is $371,000 supported by two funding sources detailed in the table below.
Two options to run the Youth Center were discussed with the ad-hoc committee. The first option called for a non-profit to operate the facility and programs as detailed in the table below. In the non-profit scenario, an additional $125,000 General Fund subsidy would be required,as the building would be fully occupied. This scenario assumes no operational costs of the facility would be borne by the non-profit. Any operational costs that were covered by the non-profit would offset the General Fund subsidy amount.
Concord’s Community Youth Center model charges $33 per month for each member and provides access to nearly a dozen recreational and educational programs. In addition to the membership revenue, foundation donations covered the remaining expenses that included staff and utility expenses. A similar financial model could work in Brentwood.
The second option would involve the City operating the facility and programs. In this scenario, there would be additional cost increases associated with the City staffing the facility. It is anticipated that membership and foundation revenues could offset a portion of the operating costs. However, an additional General Fund subsidy of $340,000 to $490,000 per year would be required.
Staff also highlighted that to become a Youth Center, up front set up costs are required, including a $550k HVAC system replacement. In addition, tenant and accessibility improvement costs are estimated to be approximately $400,000to accommodate certain recreational programming uses.
If the City Council directs the ad-hoc committee to continue to develop a plan for re-purposing the BETC, a budget amendment to the General Fund Operating Budget of $100,000 is recommended. The $100,000 would fund staff’s recommendation to execute an agreement with an architectural firm to create drawings of the facility to include renovations that would suit operations as a youth center.
Meeting Details:
August 25 at 7:00 pm
How to View
As the City Council Chamber will not be open, the public may both view and participate in the City Council meeting via WebEx at: https://www.brentwoodca.gov/councilmeetingonline
Public Comments
public comments can also be submitted via e-mail to [email protected].
