Contracts for PV Town Center project stalled Contracts for PV Town Center project stalled (May 05, 2004)

** Concerns over temporary buildings need study.

By David Boyce
Almanac Staff Writer

It was one step forward and maybe one or two in another direction last week as the Portola Valley Town Council continued wrestling with the details of getting started on a two-to-three-year project to design and build a new complex of municipal buildings at the 11.2-acre park-like Town Center.

At its April 28 meeting, the council chose Siegel & Strain Architects of Emeryville to organize a master plan for the project. But the council delayed action on contracts for some $317,000 to demolish -- and replace with temporary buildings -- several former school buildings that have served for 30 years as the town's municipal headquarters at Town Center.

Demolition is necessary, council members said, because a recent geological investigation proved that the current buildings sit above or very near active earthquake faults. The temporary buildings would put the 12 members of the town staff under one roof on a patch of land declared to be a safe distance from the faults.

Where to go?

Councilman Steve Toben called the current situation an "acute vulnerability." Councilman Ted Driscoll said that with the publication of the seismic engineer's report, the town's insurer might back out of the policy for the staff.

"There's an ethical problem for me (in) keeping our employees in an unsafe location when we have other alternatives," said Mayor George Comstock.

Councilman Richard Merk differed, saying that while the town is making a good-faith effort, the vulnerability "may or may not" be acute, and that spending some $300,000 to temporarily move the staff to another location after 30 relatively uneventful years in the current buildings is not a good bargain.

"The vulnerability has not changed," he said. "Only our awareness of it has changed." Mr. Merk abstained from the vote to fund the temporary buildings, which passed 3-0-1 with Councilman Ed Davis absent.

As an alternative to temporary buildings, residents Virginia Bacon and Pierre Fischer suggested the town rent space, such as at a newly vacant 1,300-square-foot office at the Nathhorst Triangle. But the $10,000 monthly rent is more than triple the cost of a temporary building, said Mr. Comstock in response.

The council has asked Siegel & Strain to provide second opinions on the intended locations of the temporary town administration building and two modular classrooms. Town staff will also re-bid the demolition jobs in the context of strict adherence to green-building reuse and recycling guidelines.

Careful deconstruction of the buildings and reuse of the materials would add points for "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design" to the project, but would likely raise the $33,000 cost of ordinary demolition and recycling, Mr. Merk said.

"LEED points are for peoples' egos," said Mr. Merk in an interview. "They're not for the Earth."

Typical recycling often results in usable material being sent to Mexico, said town building official Brent Hipsher.

Future of classes

The town is proposing to spend $84,140 for two modular classrooms to replace three existing classrooms that are used six days a week for activities such as homework help, art classes and Tae Kwon Do lessons.

But the plan to place the classrooms in a geologically neutral zone in the parking lot is problematic, said Town Administrator Angela Howard. The site lacks a water source and the nearest electrical transformer may need to be upgraded at a cost of $7,000 to $9,000. These classrooms would not have bathrooms.

The teachers aren't wild about rearranging their schedules to make do with two classrooms, said Barbara Powell, the director of administrative services.

"My biggest concern is obviously the water," said science and nature teacher Yvonne Tryce at the meeting.

The council has asked the town staff to re-interview the teachers on using these buildings for two to three years. "I'd hate to get these and find out that no one wants to use them," said Mr. Driscoll. "I think we need to be very flexible here."

Mr. Driscoll suggested that the town might want to subsidize the classes' rent if they have to relocate. "The last thing I want to do ... is to quietly kill the businesses" that are using the classrooms, he said.

The Parks and Recreation committee offered help in whatever ways it can to continue the classes, said committee chair SallyAnn Reiss. "We don't want them stopped," she said.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.