DeKalb Times

DeKalb County Public Building Commission met Sept. 27

Here are the minutes provided by the commission:

ROLL CALL  

Commissioner Cheryl Nicholson called the meeting to order at 8:50 a.m. and requested the Secretary to call the roll. Those Commissioners present were Mr. Kevin Bunge, Ms. Cheryl Nicholson, and Mr. Chuck Shepard. Chairman Matt Swanson and Vice-Chair Larry Lundgren were absent. A quorum was established with three Commissioners present and two absent. 

Others that were present included: County Administrator Brian Gregory, County Engineer Nathan Schwartz, County Facilities Management Director Jim Scheffers, Rehab & Nursing Center Maintenance Supervisor Steve O’Bryan, County Administrative Analyst Liam Sullivan, and Commission Secretary Tasha Sims. 

APPROVAL OF AGENDA  

Mr. Shepard requested to add a 9b to the agenda for Good of the Order. 

It was moved by Mr. Shepard, seconded by Mr. Bunge, and approved unanimously by voice vote to approve the agenda with the additional item.  

APPROVAL OF MINUTES  

Mr. Shepard moved to approve the minutes for the Tuesday, April 5, 2022, meeting. Mr. Bunge seconded the motion, and it was carried unanimously.  

PUBLIC COMMENTS  

There were no comments from the public. 

FY2023 BUDGET RECOMMENDATION  

Mr. Gregory presented the Commission’s preliminary FY2023 budget for review. He added that there is less budgeted for salaries because the Treasurer position should not be a paid position and it was previously. He additionally highlighted the major Renewal & Replacement Projects for 2023. No action was being requested at this time. 

Mr. Gregory also shared with the Commission that the County Board approved an updated Purchasing Policy. At a future meeting, he would like to provide the Commission with a draft policy that they could possibly approve. 

Ms. Nicholson moved to place the Public Building Commission’s FY2023 Budget on file for public inspection. Mr. Bunge seconded the motion, and it was approved unanimously. 

COMMUNITY OUTREACH BUILDING PARKING LOT REPAIRS  

County Engineer Nathan Schwartz reviewed from last meeting that the County Highway Department opened two sections of the Community Outreach Building’s parking lot to be able to assess what was going on under the surface. They did find that there was about a 1-1.5-inch gap between the rock and the asphalt. As they dug deeper, they located three parallel drain tiles that were added in the past and that were plugged with stone and silt. Much of the rock that was under the surface was damp and/or wet. The two exploratory cuts contained 9-inches of aggregate and 5-inches of blacktop. He reiterated that there was about a 1-inch gap between the aggregate and the blacktop. 

Unfortunately, GPRS was unable to locate exactly where the tiles were. The patches provide a good idea of where the tiles are located and the Highway Department will dig west until they find where each begins, Mr. Schwartz noted. 

Mr. Schwartz proposed to the Commission that the Highway Department will replace the three drain tiles and replace the backfill with clean material that won’t settle outward. This will create a natural French drain and will allow the entire parking lot to dry out. For a project like this, the Highway Department could handle all the labor and equipment, but the final blacktopping will need to be hired out, Mr. Schwartz explained. Besides the blacktop, the work was estimated to take about a week, weather dependent. It can still be done this fall. 

The Commission discussed whether to pave patched over the opened areas or leave them unpaved before winter. 

Mr. Shepard made a motion to authorize the DeKalb County Highway Department to cut into the Community Outreach Building’s parking lot, dig up the drain tile, install new drain tiles, apply new clean backfill gravel, and hot mix over said area, this fall. Ms. Nicholson seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.  

APPROVAL OF CLAIMS  

The Commission reviewed vendor payments that the Public Building Commission has paid since January 1, 2022. The Commission thought that the County Board was authorizing the expenditures, but they were not. Going forward, the Commission would be asked to regularly authorize the payment of their claims. 

It was moved by Mr. Shepard, seconded by Mr. Bunge, and approved unanimously approve and authorize the payment of claims from January 1, 2022, through September 23, 2022.  

COURTHOUSE RECONFIGURATION PROJECT  

Mr. Gregory shared that the Courthouse Reconfiguration Project was budgeted for in the County’s preliminary FY2023 Budget, but the County Board is still unsure of whether they will move forward with the project this year. The Board’s Law & Justice Committee will meet in the first quarter of 2023 to discuss the project. The money is still sitting and earmarked for the project, but it may not be enough to cover it now with today’s rising material costs. 

NEW BUSINESS  

County Updates  

In November, the County Board will vote on the restructuring of their committees. One new committee will be Facilities & Technology. This committee will discuss the long-range planning of the County’s buildings and technology infrastructure. The Public Building Commission will still be asked to be utilized on the County’s large-scale building projects. 

Note: These minutes are not official until approved by the Public Building Commission at a subsequent meeting. Please refer to the meeting minutes when these minutes are approved to obtain any changes to these minutes. 

Mr. Gregory provided an update on the DeKalb County Rehab & Nursing Center. In October, the County Board will be voting on a Resolution Authorizing the County Board Chair to Execute an Asset Purchase Agreement and Operational Transfer Agreement between the DeKalb County Government and Illuminate HC regarding the Sale of the DeKalb County Rehab and Nursing Center. This would be the final vote on the sale of the DCRNC. If approved, a 45-day due diligence period would begin. Documents, the deed, easements, agreements, would all be finalized during the period with the potential closing happening by the end of the year or early 2023. Mr. Gregory additionally explained how the bonds for the Expansion Project are the County’s responsibility regardless of the sale. 

GOOD OF THE ORDER  

Mr. Shepard inquired about an update on the sale of Suburban Apartments & Estates in DeKalb. Mr. Gregory briefly explained how the four-party agreement was structured. The property maintenance programs, and policing agreement comes into place once the property is annexed into the City of DeKalb. For that annexation to take place the purchase must occur first, and the owner then would petition the city. Mr. Gregory noted that at this time the purchase from The Terraces at DeKalb LLC has not yet occurred to his knowledge. 

NEXT MEETING DATE  

The next Public Building Commission Meeting will be scheduled for Tuesday, November 1, 2022, at 8:30 a.m. 

ADJOURNMENT  

A motion to adjourn was made by Mr. Shepard, seconded by Mr. Bunge, and was approved unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 10:06 a.m.  

https://dekalbcounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/pb-min22-sep.pdf