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A.D. Morgan

Design is final for new Zephyrhills City Hall

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When it comes to a new City Hall, the Zephyrhills City Council agreed that “bigger is better.”

Council members unanimously approved the design for the new City Hall complex on Jan. 23. The design calls for a two-story building of 19,615 square feet.

The $6.2 million price tag is about $300,000 greater than the alternative option, which called for a structure of 18,170.

Alan Knight, the council’s vice president, was the most outspoken advocate of proceeding with Harvard Jolly’s larger, more expensive, building.

The Zephyrhills City Council on Jan. 23 unanimously approved the design plan for a 19,615-square-foot, two-story City Hall complex. Construction will cost about $6.2 million. The total scope of the project is estimated at about $7.6 million.
(Courtesy of Harvard Jolly)

The city’s anticipated future growth is the main factor, Knight reasoned, in dishing out more dollars.

“We’re no longer a sleepy little town,” Knight said. “Zephyrhills is not growing, we’re exploding. I think to do anything to shortchange — or cut the building down— would be a mistake.”

He added: “We’re already the largest city in Pasco County, and I see nothing but growth.”

Council member Lance Smith concurred: “We need to do it first-class.”

The total scope of the City Hall project is estimated at about $7.6 million.

That includes additional “soft” costs, such as architect and engineering fees, furniture and technology expenses.

Other estimated expenses — relocation costs and temporary office space— are also included in the figure, as provided by the city.

The new complex will replace the existing City Hall, which is situated between the city’s public library and fire department on Eighth Street. A courtyard plaza and walkway eventually will link all three buildings.

With a modern stone and brick exterior, the new City Hall follows an architectural template similar to the Zephyrhills Public Library.

The complex’s interior, meanwhile, will be equipped with more open workspaces and multifunctional meeting rooms, which offer flexibility to accommodate public events.

The schematic rendering by Harvard Jolly shows the first floor houses the council chambers, and includes office quarters for the city’s building, finance and planning departments.

Other city departments, such as public works, the Community Redevelopment Agency and technology will be located on the second floor.

“This plan provides a lot flexibility for future growth,” said Amy Morgan, an associate architect with Harvard Jolly. “There are a couple of spare offices with plenty of storage.”

Phil Trezza, senior vice president at Harvard Jolly, expects the new City Hall to have “at least” a 50-year lifespan.

“The bones of the building will be pretty stout,” Trezza said, addressing the council. “We’re considering concrete block walls, and long-life materials.”

Trezza noted the design-development process will take another “five to six months” before construction can begin.

Construction, he said, will take another 12 months, placing the timetable to completion around mid-2018.

In the interim, the city must locate temporary quarters during the City Hall build out.

The council previously discussed the possibility of continuing to utilize the existing City Hall during construction, but safety and accessibility issues won’t allow that.

Temporary placement options include using extra space at the city’s police and fire stations, and other locations.

“We would all be within one block of each other,” said City Manager Steve Spina.

The City Hall complex marks the second major project Harvard Jolly and contractor A.D. Morgan has designed for the city in recent years.

In 2013, both firms were hired to help design the public library.

They later faced scrutiny over the project’s escalating costs.

At the time, the council was presented with an 8,500-square-foot facility for $1.7 million, but overall costs ended up totaling $2.26 million, a 33 percent increase from what the council originally agreed upon.

Spina, though, has reassured the council a similar instance will not occur, with members being involved in the project “every step of the way.”

Along with Spina, other city staff who’ve served on the City Hall review committee are: Sandra Amerson, Bill Burgess. Brian Williams, Gail Hamilton, Lori Hillman, Todd Vande Berg, Mike Panak and Shane LeBlanc.

Published February 1, 2017

Zephyrhills opts to build new City Hall

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The city of Zephyrhills is getting a brand-new City Hall after all.

Following several weeks of dialogue, the Zephyrhills City Council unanimously approved a motion to build a new structure at the existing City Hall site, at 5335 Eighth St.

The new facility is expected be about 5,000-square-feet larger than the current 11,000-square-foot building,

It likely will have a modernized brick and stone exterior.

The interior may feature more open workspaces and multifunctional meeting rooms, which can flexibly be used to accommodate public events.

The council had considered the feasibility of housing the city’s headquarters at the 20,000-square-foot SunTrust bank building, at 5435 Gall Blvd.

This is the current City Hall building, at 5335 Eighth St.(File Photo)
This is the current City Hall building, at 5335 Eighth St. (File Photo)

But, council members decided a new building was the best option after cost estimates showed the two projects have roughly the same price tag of $6 million.

Additional costs—including architect and contractor fees—could bring the entire project’s price tag to about $7.7 million.

Councilman Lance Smith said evaluating the two options was a “good exercise,” but noted the 44-year-old SunTrust building had too many red flags.

“Obviously, we can’t have cost overruns, but on an unknown building like that, you just don’t know what they’re going to be. That scares me quite a bit,” Smith said during the Sept. 26. council meeting.

Smith added a new City Hall building is more likely to “last the test of time,” compared to an older, refurbished building.

“I think a civic building should be something that you build…for a lifetime,” Smith said. “I think there’s something to be said for having a civic building the community looks to and has pride in.”

Councilman Ken Burgess concurred with Smith, echoing additional concerns about the substantial costs of preliminary overhauls such as a new roof and air conditioning for the bank building.

“With the new building, you’re going to get the latest in ‘green’ building technology, and energy efficiency,” Burgess said. “We could probably do some things to the old building, but it would probably not be as energy efficient as the new building would be.”

Councilman Charles Proctor said he was, at one point, convinced the SunTrust building was the best option, but later felt “uneasy” as more information about the site was presented.

“I just feel more comfortable with giving the people a brand-new building versus a ‘brand-new’ 50-year-old building,” Proctor said.

On a related note, the council also approved an agreement with A.D. Morgan to serve as construction manager for the city hall project.

The Tampa-based contractor will work closely with architectural firm Harvard Jolly.

The project is expected to take about 20 months to complete, which incorporates about eight months of design and 12 months of construction.

It marks the second major Zephyrhills project in recent years for both firms.

In 2013, both firms were hired to design and build the Zephyrhills Public Library. They later faced scrutiny over the project’s escalating costs.

At the time, Harvard Jolly and A.D. Morgan presented the council with an 8,500-square-foot facility for $1.7 million, but overall costs ended up totaling $2.26 million, a 33 percent increase from what the council originally agreed upon.

Councilman Smith warned the two firms, who were both in attendance, not to make the same mistake twice.

“All of us up here are going to be really, really cost conscience because of prior experience. I don’t think we’ll be cheap, but if we come in at some significant overruns, we’ll have to do something different,” said Smith.

Council vice president Alan Knight added: “I want them to be very accountable.”

City Manager Steve Spina doubled down on previous statements that the council will be included “in every step” of the design-build process.

“You’ll be much more in the loop,” Spina said, addressing the council. “If there’s anything that comes along that could be a potential change in cost, you’ll know about it immediately.”

Published October 5, 2016

School buses to run on natural gas

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Pasco County’s school district is planning to use natural gas to fuel a new fleet of buses.

On Jan. 13, the Pasco County Planning Commission will consider a proposal to rezone about 24 acres on Interlaken Road for a storage, maintenance and fueling station that can handle about 120 buses.

Future buses transporting children in Pasco County Schools are expected to use natural gas for fuel. (File Photo)
Future buses transporting children in Pasco County Schools are expected to use natural gas for fuel.
(File Photo)

Pasco County commissioners will make the final decision on the rezoning at a later date, possibly on Jan. 26.

In the first year of the program, Pasco County Schools plans to buy between 30 and 35 new buses equipped to run on fuel known as Compressed Natural Gas, or CNG. Those buses could be rolling by spring 2017, with more to come.

“Transitioning to CNG will be done over many years,” said Pasco County Schools Deputy Superintendent Ray Gadd.

The district has about 470 buses in its fleet.

The goal is to shift a portion of the district’s bus fleet from gasoline and diesel-burning fuels to natural gas. The school district anticipates the shift to result in savings over time.

Buses also will burn cleaner fuel with less toxic emissions, and they will run more quietly than traditional buses.

Gadd estimates the annual cost for purchasing these buses will be about $1.5 million. A state rebate program could provide the school district with a return of $25,000 per bus, up to 10 buses.

“It helps counter the costs,” he said.

Ray Gadd is deputy superintendent of Pasco County Schools. (Courtesy of Pasco County Schools)
Ray Gadd is deputy superintendent of Pasco County
Schools.
(Courtesy of Pasco County Schools)

And, buying the buses over several years will stagger their eventual replacement dates, which also can save money. Typically, buses are replaced after 10 years. But, Gadd said a natural gas fueled bus is predicted to have a longer life of 13 to 15 years.

If the rezoning is approved, design work could begin within a month. Opening date for the approximately $7 million facility is anticipated in spring 2017.

A.D. Morgan of Tampa will build the station.

The school board briefly considered a public/private partnership, but Gadd said, “Any time you finance it, somebody is making a profit. We had the capital to build it ourselves. We are going to own it and operate it.”

The property on Interlaken is in a largely industrial area on a former tree farm.

Prior to reaching a decision, Pasco school district officials visited Clearwater Gas System, which is owned and operated by the city of Clearwater. The city was the first in Tampa Bay to build a natural gas fueling station in 2011.

Clearwater Gas will be the school district’s supplier. The utility currently serves parts of Pinellas and Pasco, including Land O’ Lakes and the community of Connerton.

At a neighborhood meeting in November, about a dozen residents met with school districts officials, according to county documents filed with the rezoning application.

They requested an eight-foot buffer wall, which Gadd said can be built.

Aside from the buses’ new sheen, parents and students won’t notice a difference from the old yellow school buses.

“It looks just like the buses we have now that people are used to seeing up and down their streets,” Gadd said.

Published January 13, 2016 

Zephyrhills to pay $500k more for library

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The Zephyrhills City Council got an unwelcome lump of coal in their Christmas stocking after finding out the stately brick and stone library they were expecting was going to cost them a lot more money.

And none of them were very happy about it.

Harvard Jolly and A.D. Morgan had originally presented the idea of building a brick and stone library for $1.7 million, using primarily Penny for Pasco money. However, after discovering the reality of the market, they realized it would cost more than 30 percent more to build, and proposed a cheaper stucco building. The City Council opted for the more expensive option instead. (Image courtesy of Harvard Jolly)
Harvard Jolly and A.D. Morgan had originally presented the idea of building a brick and stone library for $1.7 million, using primarily Penny for Pasco money. However, after discovering the reality of the market, they realized it would cost more than 30 percent more to build, and proposed a cheaper stucco building. The City Council opted for the more expensive option instead. (Image courtesy of Harvard Jolly)

The council hired the architectural firm Harvard Jolly and contractor A.D. Morgan after they presented an 8,500-square-foot facility next to the library’s current location on Eighth Street for $1.7 million. However, after going out into the market to look at materials and supplies, the two companies came back with a new price tag: $2.5 million, a 47 percent jump.

The options? Either go with a cheaper, stucco version of the library, or pay more money.

“One of my reasons for picking your company is your guarantees that we were going to be in budget,” Councilman Charles Proctor said. “I run several companies of my own, and being in budget is very important to me.”

Yet, as Proctor pointed out, there was a larger issue.

“The prior councils made promises to the city to build a beautiful library,” he said. “The brick building is going to be a much more substantial, better built, longer-lasting building. We really needed to come in on budget on this.”

Harvard Jolly and A.D. Morgan were able to reduce the overall cost to $2.26 million, but that remained 33 percent over budget. That can be mostly blamed on the existing volatile market for brick and stone, said George Goodspeed, manager of pre-construction services at A.D. Morgan. When the company sought bids on the masonry and concrete, the largest bid was double the smallest bid, and all of them were much more than they anticipated.

The concrete and masonry work, however, would go to Ervin Bishop Construction of Land O’ Lakes.

Councilman Ken Burgess said he felt the architects were practically baiting and switching the city.

“You have two buildings here,” he said. “It’s like giving a kid a shiny penny, but then here’s a dull one. They both do the same thing, but the shiny penny has already been handed to him. It’s a little bit difficult to kind of go back and use the dull penny. It puts us in a bad spot.”

It would, however, bring the library a little closer to what was first proposed nearly a decade ago, said librarian Vicki Elkins. The original plan was to build a 27,000-square-foot library, but that was quickly pared down to an 18,000-square-foot facility for $3.8 million.

Money for it was to come from the Penny for Pasco tax program, with the city making annual contributions to a construction fund.

In 2009, however, a flood at the fire department halted contributions to the library construction fund, and they never returned.

“Had Penny for Pasco funding been added after 2009, the building reserve would have the funds to cover the brick design,” Elkins said. “There is money that is available in the Penny for Pasco reserve to cover the brick design, and that is what we are asking you to consider tonight.”

Councilwoman Jodi Wilkeson said if such an overage had happened in the business world, she would’ve been fired. Yet, the library design was intended to help inspire a brick construction style that peeks into the past of Zephyrhills. And the council could not lose sight of that.

“When you go to a place like Dade City and enjoy the country Christmas stroll, and the county hall is lit up, there is a character to that space … that is unmatched,” she said. “For the most part, some of the most beautiful cities in our country have been built with municipal structures being the most enduring, and the highest quality of design.”

With the council reluctantly leaning toward spending more money on the library to maintain its original vision, council president Lance Smith added a stern warning to Harvard Jolly and A.D. Morgan.

“Please don’t come back” for more money after this increase, Smith said, “because it’s not going to be successful.”

Ground should be broken in March for the new library, with an anticipated opening in spring of 2015.