Facilities Committee

CITY OF CHARLESTON West Virginia Council Member – AT LARGE Jennifer Pharr Facilities Committee, Chair PO BOX 1171 Charleston, WV 25324 Urban Renewal Committee Telephone: 304‐615‐7574 Planning, Streets and Traffic Committee jennifer.pharr@cityofcharleston.org TO: Facilities Committee FROM: Jennifer Pharr, Chair RE: Committee Meeting There will be a Committee meeting of Facilities on May 20, 2019 – 5:00 PM in the A/V Conference Room, City Hall, Room 308. The agenda will be as follows: Previous Minutes 1. 2‐19‐2019 Overview of the Charleston Visitor’s Bureau (CVB) ‐ Tim Brady Adjournment *Meetings may be recorded and broadcast via internet https://charlestonwv.civicclerk.com JF/ns City Council | 501 Virginia Street, East | Post Office Box 2749 | Charleston, West Virginia 25330 www.charlestonwv.gov | 304.348.8179 | 304.348.8038 fax Page | 1 of  MINUTES FACILITIES COMMITTEE MEETING 4:00 P. M., FEBRUARY 19, 2019 A/V CONFERENCE ROOM Jennifer Pharr, Chairperson, called the meeting of the Charleston City Council Committee on Facilities to order at 4:00p.m., FEBRUARY 19, 2019, in the Audio/Visual Room in City Hall. Committee Members Present: Others: Jennifer Pharr, Chair Adam Knauff Courtney Persinger, Vice Chair Kevin Baker Ben Adams Brent Webster Brady Campbell Naomi Bays Adam Knauff Matt Sutton Sam Minardi Shannon Snodgrass The Chairperson called the meeting to order. Councilmember Pharr stated that the materials she had given to the committee, information from Commercial Insurance/AssuredPartners, were property schedules of City owned facilities as well an email from Janet Buckley containing current property coverage comparison with South Charleston. The City’s total insurance coverage is just under 300 million with half of that being for the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center. Also included in the packet were property schedules from 2013-2019. She noted that the content values had remained the same. Councilmember Knauff asked when the committee last met; the committee is believed to have met once previously. Councilmember Snodgrass asked what the committee’s charge is to be. Councilmember Pharr answered that they will be over 50+ facilities; there are 70 some insurance premiums listed on the report. For example North Charleston Community Center has coverage on the building and contents separately. Councilmember Pharr suggested that perhaps the committee could break into groups and conduct on-site visits of the listed facilities. Councilmember Campbell offered that he works in the commercial insurance field. He stated that it is troubling that the policies have not been seemingly updated since 2013. It was his opinion that having the committee visits the facilities themselves would be a lot. He suggested that someone working for the City, possibly Tim Campbell, would be qualified to visit these sites and put together a list for maintenance etc. February 19, 2019 Page | 2 of Matt Sutton mentioned that someone from the insurance company will be presenting to Finance Committee next month, and that would be a good opportunity for the committee to ask questions. Councilmember Snodgrass asked if all the properties were listed on the handout. Councilmember Pharr answered yes. Councilmember Snodgrass raised the question if all the currently owned properties were needed (could they be sold, donated, etc.). Councilmember Pharr said that is why they needed to have all these properties visited. Councilmember Snodgrass stated that the first priority should be to determine whether a property was needed and if it was being used to capacity. Councilmember Pharr said that to make the best, complete decision would be for members to actually see the facilities in person, particularly ones that had never been seen before. Councilmember Snodgrass suggested to also have someone from the City accompany them. Councilmember Pharr stated it was concerning that the listed replacement value for the Coliseum and Convention Center was low. Councilmember Campbell said that fixtures and personal property could be listed separately. Matt Sutton said that they had just started evaluating the art recently added to the building which was not included in the reports. Councilmember Adams offered that the lists could be sorted more efficiently (structures, parking lots, pump stations). Councilmember Knauff added they could also be sorted by value. Councilmember Campbell added that a goal of the committee over the course of the year could be to compile a list with pictures etc that could be adjusted as needed and sent out periodically as an update. Councilmember Persinger asked if this was a service that could be hired out. Matt Sutton said that the insurance company has that service, which has been declined in the past. Councilmember Snodgrass posited that this service should be done independently of the insurance company. Councilmember Jenkins said it would be helpful if the list could be categorized. Councilmember Adams said that if the lists were in a excel spreadsheet, the committee could categorize them to their needs. Brent Webster asked how Public Works is listed, because some City property lies underneath the Department of Highways’ property. Councilmember Persinger questioned whether the City should invest a large amount of money on property that they could be told to vacate at any time. Councilmember Adams suggested first getting a better knowledge on the information that the committee has and to get the information sorted as needed. Councilmember Snodgrass stated that after that, they could look into getting an independent source to examine the property values. Matt Sutton added that the property values listed were supplied from the administration. Councilmember Jenkins commented that the committee would be looking for a survey as opposed to an appraisal. Councilmember Campbell suggested to keep in mind that the listed values were replacement not cash value. Webster added that the City Engineer’s Office would be a good resource for the committee. February 19, 2019 Page | 3 of Councilmember Pharr summarized that a goal for the next meeting is to have the information divided into categories with the pump stations listed separately, to check on the leases of the properties and what the City owns. Councilmember Persinger wondered if perhaps some of the properties listed could be donated to CURA (empty lots, etc). Councilmember Snodgrass asked for a seperate list of what properties were owned versus what were bonded. The committee decided to set a recurring meeting for the 3rd Monday of every month at 5:00 pm. Matt Sutton added that the administration would like the committee to also focus on the Convention Center, specifically, the organization of it. Councilmember Snodgrass offered that that may take priority. Councilmember Pharr stated she wanted to take a tour with Tim Campbell or Engineering to personally see the facilities, especially ones that have recently changed. Councilmember Snodgrass asked for clarification of the committee’s role regarding the organization of the Convention Center. Matt Sutton answered that it would consists of leadership, operation, board make up, language in the Code, etc. He further stated that the purpose of the building has changed. Councilmember Snodgrass asked if there was currently a strategic plan for the Convention Center. Matt Sutton answered said, yes, one was coming together. Councilmember Campbell asked to schedule a tour of the Convention Center. Councilmember Snodgrass stated that is important for the Convention Center to find a niche. Councilmember Pharr expressed interested in inviting the CVB to give the committee an overview presentation. Councilmember Snodgrass added they could also invite a representative from the Convention Center. Councilmember Knauff asked about acquisitions. Councilmember Persinger said that seemed more like a Finance subject and was of the opinion that the City needed to own less property. Councilmember Jenkins mentioned the committee might want to examine in the future the numerous, unused right-of-ways in the City. Councilmember Knauff asked if the committee wanted to concerns themselves with the mall. Councilmember Persinger added that the mall is not a City owned facility. Councilmember Knauff agreed, and added that the City did have interest in the facility. Councilmember Minardi motioned to adjourn the meeting. Councilmember Campbell seconded. Meeting adjourned at 6:05 pm. February 19, 2019 Page | 4 of