To: Board of County Commissioners
Through: Gini Pingenot, Director, Open Spaces Department
Prepared By:
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Glen Poole, Operations Manager, Open Spaces
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presenter
Presenter: Glen Poole, Operations Manager, Open Spaces
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Subject:
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2:00 PM *Open Space Sales and Use Tax Fund Reallocation and Waiver Per the Purchasing Policy
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Purpose and Request:
recommended action
The Board of County Commissioners is requested to approve reallocation of the funds listed in this report. Pursuant to Arapahoe County’s Resolution No. 21-263 which outlines the available uses of the County’s 0.25% Sales and Use Tax for Open Space, Park and Trail Purposes, unspent fund balances may be reallocated to other allowable uses based on recommendations from the Open Space Trails Advisory Board (OSTAB) and approval by the Board of County Commissioners.
Staff also requests the Board approve a waiver of the purchasing policy for a select source to use the same design and landscape architectural firm as the City and County of Denver for the High Line Canal enhanced trail, which would be Livable Cities.
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Background and Discussion: Resolution No. 21-263 (12(d)(v)) authorizes the reallocation of unspent funds on purposes outlined in the resolution. Pursuant to the resolution, the county is authorized to use 4% of annual revenue on administrative costs. Overtime, the unspent balance in the administrative fund has grown. Meanwhile, deferred maintenance needs on Open Space properties are increasing. In an effort to maintain and steward the assets the Open Space Department is responsible for in a manner that meets the public’s expectations, staff is recommending the transfer of $3 million in unspent Administration funds to address the following needs:
Fairground Repaving Project: Estimate: Up to $400,000 to cover repair, replacement, and overlaying of asphalt roads and parking lots at the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds and Event Center. The Arapahoe County Fairgrounds and Event Center was built in 2006 along with its site infrastructure and roadways. The Fairground’s parking lots, and internal roadways have experienced significant wear and degradation due to the impacts of large vehicles, public use, expansive soils, and general aging / weathering. These asphalt areas are in a state of significant deferred maintenance and need upgrading. Fairgrounds staff are partnering with the Facilities Department and a local asphalt contractor to repair, mill / overlay, and replace asphalt on the entry roads and north parking lot at the Fairgrounds Event Center campus. The maintenance and upgrading of the asphalt parking lots and internal roadways will improve public access and safety for the site.
Fairground Event Center HVAC: Estimate: Up to $1.5 million to cover design, demolition of existing HVAC systems, and construction the new HVAC systems. The Arapahoe County Fairgrounds and Event Center was built in 2006, which included the Main Hall and the East Wing. The HVAC systems (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) in the Main Hall and East Wing are original to the building and are managed and maintained by the Facilities Department. The HVAC systems have reached their useful life span, are less efficient than modern systems, are becoming increasingly harder to maintain due to parts availability, and are not able to fully serve the cooling/heating needs of Event Center clients. Fairgrounds staff are partnering with the Facilities Department and their HVAC consultants to design and install a new HVAC system for the Fairgrounds Event Center to improve system efficiency, ease of maintenance and to increase comfort in the building’s spaces.
High Line Canal Enhanced Trail: Estimate: Up to $1 million to cover design and possibly some construction costs. In an effort, to make the High Line Canal more accessible to multiple users, an enhanced trail of 12 ft of concrete + 6 ft of crusher fine has been envisioned for portions of the High Line Canal. The City and County of Denver is diligently working to incorporate this enhanced trail profile on 2.5 miles within the Windsor Neighborhood which stretches from Parker to Havanna. The earliest Denver will begin this work is November 2024. Arapahoe County is interested in adopting the same trail profile for 4.19 miles of trail in unincorporated Arapahoe County. This includes 1.17 miles in Holly Hills and 3.02 miles in the Four-Square Mile Neighborhood. Given the estimates for Denver’s segment, Arapahoe County expects the design and construction to cost multiple millions of dollars. The first step is to secure the design work which is expected to cost between $400,000 and $600,000. Staff is requesting a waiver of purchasing policies to select source the same design and landscape architectural firm that Denver has contracted with through their public procurement process. A portion of the reallocated funds would help cover the costs of the design and may possibly help address future construction costs.
Staff will provide status updates on the progress of these projects on a regular basis with OSTAB.
Fiscal Impact: The transfer of unspent funds within the Open Space Sales and Use Tax fund will address current deferred maintenance and reduce future maintenance costs. This action leaves sufficient funding to support the Administration fund activities into the future.
Alternatives:
Alternative #1: Approve Funds Transfer / Address Deferred Maintenance. This alternative will provide staff with sufficient funding to address current deferred maintenance needs at the Fairgrounds campus and on the Highline Canal Trail.
Alternative #2: Utilize Existing Maintenance and Heritage Funds. This alternative will require staff to address deferred maintenance through an incremental approach over several years and will increase overall cost of addressing deferred maintenance.
Alternative #3: Take No Action / Continue to Defer Maintenance. This alternative will limit the ongoing usability and visitor experience for the Fairgrounds Event Center, the Fairgrounds Campus roadways, and the Highline Canal Trail. This alternative does not allow staff to address deferred maintenance in a planned fashion and will significantly increase overall maintenance and replacement costs of Department assets.
Alignment with Strategic Plan:
☒Be fiscally sustainable.
☒Provide essential and mandated service.
☐Be community focused.
Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends the transfer of $3 million dollars in unspent Administration funds to address deferred maintenance needs of the Department, which supports the active use of Open Space Sales and Use Tax funds to meet the needs of our clients and visitors. Staff also recommends approval of the waiver per the purchasing policy for a select source for the High Line Canal enhanced trail design and landscape architecture.
Concurrence: During the June 17, 2024, meeting, the OSTAB Board recommended the Board of County Commissioners approve the reallocation of $3 million dollars in unspent Administration funds to address deferred maintenance needs on properties owned and maintained by the Open Space Department.