Adopt plans and specifications for the new Agriculture Department Corporation Yard, authorize the Director of General Services (or designee) to advertise for construction bids, and find the project categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). (No general fund impact) (Pistochini/Martinez) (Est. Time: 10 min)

The Agriculture Department seeks to replace two corporation yard buildings at 70 Cottonwood Street, Woodland, as both buildings no longer meet the County's needs.  The two buildings were constructed in 1954 and 1966 and have a combined square footage of 13,000.  The Agriculture Department offices are located in a third building, Norton Hall, that was constructed in 1954.

The General Services Department conducted a review of county assets and determined that the most cost-effective option is to relocate the Agriculture Department in two phases to the county-owned property at 120 West Main Street, Woodland.  Phase 1 is to construct a new Agriculture Department corporation yard building.  Phase 2 is to relocate and use 120 West Main Street, Suite D to house the Agriculture Department offices.

In Phase 1, the new construction of the corporation yard building will be a 6,020 square foot building.  This building will house the Pesticide ID Lab which will house staff essential in identifying harmful pests to agriculture, a Trapping Supply Room used to bait traps for the trapping program, the Metrology Lab which is used to conduct precise testing (by statute) of water, electric and vapor meters that are used to charge tenants, house Weights & Measures equipment needed for field-testing, and Parking Bays for sensitive vehicles to protect them from vandalism. General Services engaged Comstock Johnson Architects to develop plans and specifications for the new building.  A building permit was issued in December 2022.  Public Contract Code §20150.12 requires this Board to approve the plans and specifications for this project. Upon your approval of the plans and specifications and the authorization by this Board today, the Procurement Division will advertise the project soliciting construction bids.  After the completion of the competitive solicitation process, staff will return to this Board with a recommendation of award and execution of the contract, along with taking any formal budget action required through a budget resolution. The fiscal impact section of the staff report describes planned funding sources to completed the project and the anticipated date for construction start is summer 2023.

In 2019, County staff commissioned a feasibility study for options regarding the facilities needs of the Agriculture Department.  Three options were considered.  The first option is the redevelopment of the existing Agriculture campus with new structures for approximately $40.8M.  The second option is to build a new campus on the site of the old Juvenile Detention Facility on West Beamer Street for $66.4M.  This second option includes a two-story building to relocate the Department of Child Support Services from their then-leased, now county-owned, building.  The third option was for a mix of new construction and renovations of existing structures at the current Agriculture campus for $38.4M.  In all three options, the Facilities Operations Division must be relocated from the existing Agriculture campus.  The cost to relocate the Facilities function was not analyzed in this feasibility study.

At the time, staff determined these options were not financially feasible and pivoted to 1) purchase the 100 West Court Street, Woodland, building housing the Department of Child Support Services (DCSS), 2) relocate the Innovation & Technology Services (ITS) from 120 West Main Street, Woodland, to the vacant second floor of the DCSS building, 3) creating a new Agriculture campus at 120 West Main Street, Woodland by relocating the Agriculture Department and the UC Cooperative Extension to this site, and 4) relocate the Department of General Services out of 120 West Main Street, Woodland to a new site.  The Board has already approved, and Staff completed, the first two actions to purchase the building housing DCSS and relocating ITS.  The County's Capital Improvement Plan includes the relocation of the Agriculture Department as a current project, with the relocation of the UC Cooperative Extension and Department of General Services as "upcoming" projects that need future financial planning and architectural & engineering design.

With today's adoption the plans and specifications (on file with the Clerk of the Board), the Director of General Services (or designee) can move the advertisement for construction bids.  A CEQA notice of exemption is included as Attachment A for the Board's consideration and approval on the grounds described therein.  

The General Services Department collaborated extensively with the Agriculture Department.  Additional collaboration occurred with the Department of Financial Services, County Counsel and County Administrator's Office.

The competitive solicitation process will commence upon the Board's adoption of the plans and specifications and the authorization of the Director of General Services, or designee, to advertise the construction bids.