To: Board of County Commissioners
Through: Bryan Weimer, Director, Public Works & Development
Prepared By:
prepared
Rebecca Doane, Support Services Division Manager, Public Works & Development
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presenter
Presenter: Bryan Weimer, Director, Public Works & Development
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Subject:
title
1:45 PM *PWD Lima Office Security Project
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Purpose and Request:
recommended action
The purpose of this drop-in session is to determine whether the BOCC would be supportive of a Q3-2024 supplemental request for funding to initiate the PWD Lima Office Security project. This project involves a reconfiguration of the lobby area to enhance safety and security for PWD staff and customers.
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Background and Discussion: PWD requested funding for the Lima Office Security Project as a 2024 Budget request. This request was denied, but it was relayed to PWD at that time that the EBC and BOCC are supportive of this project, and if additional sources of funding could be identified, it would be approved.
A source of potential funding for this project was identified at the end of 2023 in the form of above-budget revenue (specifically, $2.74 million in revenue was collected above the budgeted amount in 2023 in PWD’s Fund 10 revenue accounts); therefore, funding for this security project was requested as a Q4-2023 supplemental budget request. That request was also denied. In 2024, potential funding was identified for this project in the form of ARPA funding - specifically, ARPA funding that had been allocated to PWD for culvert-related work became available due to reimbursement from another jurisdiction on the Inverness Drive Inlet project. PWD asked if this ARPA funding (about $150,000) that unexpectedly became available could be used for the security project, and that request was also denied, although the BOCC reaffirmed their support for the security project if other funding could be identified.
Potential funding for this project has now again been identified in the form of above-budget revenue in our land development services areas. We are projecting $1 million in above-budget revenue in 2024, which is above the already significantly increased revenue budget for 2024. If the BOCC is supportive of using a small portion of this above-budget revenue to fund this security project, we will submit a funding request for this project as a Q3-2024 supplemental budget request.
This project is being requested as a one-time expense to significantly enhance the safety and security of the PWD Lima office. The proposal is to establish a check-in window in the vestibule area to greet customers immediately upon arrival and confirm their need for PWD services. Customers who are in the wrong building would be redirected accordingly, as we regularly receive customers in our office for the Probation Office, A/D Works, Motor Vehicle, or other offices on the Lima campus. Customers who are dropping something off or picking something up will be able to do so easily at the check-in window. Customers who need to enter our office for a business meeting or other reason will sign-in and be granted entry into the lobby area (the door into the lobby will be locked and accessible only by County ID badge, so customers will need to be “buzzed in” when access is required).
This reconfiguration will provide an enhanced level of safety and security to all those in office, including employees and customers. Customers who come to the PWD Lima office by mistake will quickly be redirected to the appropriate office without needing to come into our lobby area. This means that customers will get to their intended destination faster and with less frustration on their part. Customers who come to our office to simply drop-off or pick-up an item will be able to do so quickly and easily in the vestibule without needing to come into the lobby area. Access to the lobby will be limited to only employees and customers with a legitimate business need to enter the lobby area. A new wall will be installed that will place all staff workstations within the secured area of the office that requires an ID badge to enter. Currently there is one workstation that is completely outside of the “employee only” area, making it highly vulnerable to any threat in the lobby. We would also enhance security for all other employees in the office by eliminating a specific door/wall that is not very secure with one that is.
Most importantly, this project will mitigate the most vulnerable area in our lobby, which is a door that leads into the “employee only” area but cannot be limited to badge access only because it is considered a fire exit. By limiting access to the office overall through the check-in window in the vestibule, we will reduce the potential exposure of this security concern. This concern has been discussed extensively with FFM and South Denver Metro Fire staff, who all support this project as a way to mitigate this risk. In recent discussions with OEM, this area was identified as the biggest security risk in our office. This proposed project would significantly mitigate this risk and would allow us to more effectively “lock down” in the event of an imminent threat to the safety of our team.
The development of this office reconfiguration plan represents a collaboration between PWD's Building, Planning, and Support Services division staff, as well as with our partners in FFM and South Denver Metro Fire. All staff involved in the development of this plan are fully supportive of it. Other County departments/offices have similar or even higher levels of security than what is being proposed here. Recent incidents in our lobby and in the neighboring building on the Lima campus reinforce the need for this enhanced security in our office. We recently discussed with FFM their availability to work on this project, and they indicated that we could start planning for the project in September 2024, with construction starting in early 2025, pending funding availability. If the BOCC is supportive of this project, we will request the funding as a Q3-2024 supplemental request. We fully understand the County’s budgetary limitations; however, we believe this is a very important and much-needed security enhancement for our office. The project cost of $150,000 is a small investment compared to the big benefits that will be gained in terms of employee and customer safety, overall office security, and customer convenience.
Fiscal Impact: The quote received over a year ago for this project was $134,811. We are requesting a budget of $150,000 to account for expected cost increases since the quote was obtained and potential project overruns. This amount can be fully covered by the above-budget revenue that PWD is projecting for 2024. As this is new revenue not currently allocated to any specific item/project, we believe this meets the intention of the BOCC in terms of being an additional source of funding that could be used for this project.
Alternatives: The alternative is not to fund the project, leaving the security vulnerabilities unaddressed. After extensive discussions with FFM, South Denver Metro Fire, and internally among PWD divisions, we believe that the requested project is the most cost-effective way to mitigate the most significant security concerns noted above. There are additional methods that would be more effective in addressing the security concerns, but as those alternatives cost more than the project being proposed, we are not recommending them at this time.
Alignment with Strategic Plan:
☒Be fiscally sustainable
☒Provide essential and mandated service
☒Be community focused
Staff Recommendation: PWD staff recommend funding this project and this investment in staff safety and office security.
Concurrence: Our partners in FFM, OEM, and South Denver Metro Fire have expressed support for this project for the reasons set forth above.