PLANNING FOR A NEW PUBLIC WORKS FACILITY

By MICHAEL L. HART

Superintendent of Public Services Peoria, Illinois

Like many public works facilities, Peoria's dates back to the 1920's. Bits and pieces have been added along the way, but the basic structure shows the wear and tear (not to mention the obsolesence) of being over fifty years old. Few superintendents experience the opportunity to design and build a facility to meet their current needs. A new public works facility posed many challenges for a staff lacking in building design and construction experience. While ours was not without problems, the Peoria experience may benefit other municipalities who are in the process of facility development.

Work began on the project before it was a project. In 1979, recognizing the woeful inadequacy of current facilities, preplanning began. No site had been selected; 10 funding source had been identified. The only known act was that one of the existing facilities was structurally unsafe, and another would soon be removed as a part of downtown revitalization. Thus, space requirements were developed for known displacees and other Public Works services in need of improved facilities. While functional relationships were defined, the temptation to develop a preconceived facility layout was avoided. Recently completed public works facilities throughout the state were visited and users were interviewed. This information prepared us to work more efficiently with our architect.

An early exercise was the development of assumptions to be used as guidelines tor the architect. Assumptions, such as useful life, building orientation, functional relationships, budgetary constraints, design image requirements, and political restraints needed to be clearly defined. The assumptions were necessary during the initial stages of site plan development with the architect.

To this point, everything could have been categorized as "preplanning". Except for minor changes, any future project could make use of information gathered.

It was extremely important to keep accurate written files on all information obtained. Peoria began gathering information in 1979; the architect was hired in 1983 and made use of that same information. When funding became available to hire an architect, preplanning paid big dividends in time saved during the design process.

The selection of an architectural service can be frustrating if the proper criteria is not used. Select an architect with design experience in public works facilities who will be responsive to your needs. As architects generally base their fees on the percentage of the expected cost of the facility, the City staffers are faced with a double-edged problem. There is obviously the temptation to keep the project estimate to the absolute minimum to lower the architect's fee. Do not succumb to this temptation. The project estimate that is developed becomes the funding source's upper limit. Once this expectation (the project's total cost estimate) is firmly implanted in the minds of the individuals empowered to commit fund for the project, cost overruns identified during the actual development of the design documents could jeopardize the construction phase of the project.

The decision-making process for the development of a public works complex requires the imput of many people and a project manager. This person should understand the needs of future users of the facility, the limitations of the architectural staff, and should anticipate reactions to various portions of the project by the legislative body ultimately responsible for funding. No matter who makes the decision, all communication with the architect and user groups should go through one individual who represents the owner. Mistakes created by a communication breakdown during the design phase will generally result in construction embarrassments, cost overruns or, at the very least, personal anguish for the project manager who knew the mistake could have been avoided.

January 1987 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 9

The importance of the project manager during the design phase cannot be fully appreciated until the construction phase has begun. Every question (door, wall, curb placement, office relationship, people and vehicle flow, maintenance access points, product selection, program rationale and justification, etc.) addressed during the design phase reduces the burden of the project construction manager and costly change orders. The development of the design document requires a tremendous amount of time to research needs and identify solutions. Lack of careful attention to this process will be a constant source of problems to the person responsible for turning design intentions into the reality of the finished facility.

Contracts with architectural firms to design public works facilities will include a fee for construction inspection. This inspection will ensure that the building contractor is meeting specifications and will assist in resolving field problems. A specific line of communication between owner, architect, and contractor must be established to ensure project control. During the initial interview process, it is important to determine the extent of the architect's accountability during construction. The project needs full-time inspection. If the architect does not provide full-time, on-site inspection, the owner must. Since the best set of plans will require interpretation and modification, delays due to the lack of on-site owner representation will be costly. The time to make changes is during the construction phase — not after the building is completed. The presence of the user during construction will pay dividends. Changes to the facility that would cost pennies to remedy before walls go up will cost dollars done later.

Involvement in the preplanning, architect selection, project development, funding authorization and actual facility construction is a management challenge experienced by only a fortunate few. Occupancy of the City of Peoria, Illinois, Public Works Operation and Maintenance Center occurred in October, 1986. With the consolidation of work activities of over one hundred employees, the City of Peoria will reap the benefits of this public works facility for many years to come. •

Page 10 / Illinois Municipal Review / January 1987