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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022.1115.TCWS.MinutesTOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION OF THE FOUNTAIN HILLS TOWN COUNCIL NOVEMBER 15, 2022 1. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Dickey called the Work Session of the Fountain Hills Town Council held on November 15, 2022, to order at 8:48 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL Members Present: Mayor Ginny Dickey: Vice Mayor Gerry Friedel; Councilmember David Spelich; Councilmember Sharron Grzybowski; Councilmember Alan Magazine; Councilmember Peggy McMahon; Councilmember Mike Scharnow Members Absent: None Staff Present: Town Manager Grady E. Miller; Town Attorney Aaron D. Arnson; Town Clerk Linda Mendenhall Audience: No members of the public were present. 3. REGULAR AGENDA A. Allana Buick and Bers will be presenting its next steps, short and long term progress report related to water/moisture intrusion issues at the Community Center. Eugene Buick, Senior Principal with Allana Buick and Bers provided a progress report on the water/moisture intrusion issues at the Fountain Hills Community Center and answered councils' questions. 4. ADJOURNMENT With no further discussion, Mayor Dickey adjourned the Work Session. The Work Session of the Fountain Hills Town Council held on November 15, 2022, adjourned at 9:18 p.m. G. Menden all, To TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS DI Giy Dicketf, Mayor CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Work Session held by the Town Council of Fountain Hills in the Town Hall Council Chambers on the 15'h day of November 2022. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and that a quorum was present DATED this 3id Day of January 2023.23 Mendenhall, Town Town Cleric TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS Page 1 of 13 NOVEMBER 15, 2022 WORK SESSION Post -Production File TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS November 15, 2022 Work Session Transcription Provided By: eScribers, LLC Transcription is provided in order to facilitate communication accessibility and may not be a totally verbatim record of the proceedings. Page 1 of 13 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS Page 2 of 13 NOVEMBER 15, 2022 WORK SESSION MAYOR DICKEY: Hey there, we're back in session for a work study. And Grady, if you want to get us started. MILLER: Yes, really quickly, you recall, last month, we -- we gave a presentation on this. We had hired a firm that actually helped us do some analysis of the water intrusion at the community center, which we've been having some problems with. They actually did some actual water -- battery tests of water on the windows and on the doors and they were able to, kind of see, where the real issues were. The way we left that last meeting was we asked for them to come back and help prioritize what needs to be done and the estimated costs. So that's what they're here for tonight. And the timing is good because we also intend to try to come up with some work that we're trying to get underway right now. And also to start planning for our capital improvement program. With that, I'll turn it over to -- 1 know Justin has some other comments, as well. So I'll turn it over to our public works director before he introduces Mr. Buick. WELDY: Thank you, Mr. Miller. As stated, Eugene Buick will be giving you a more detailed report on actions that we've taken and some actions that are going to be needed. With that, I will remind that this is actually a marathon to get the work done here. And with that said, you start running a immediately for a marathon. And the town staff, under the direction of the Town Manager, has done that. I would like to take just a moment to thank the facilities staff, Steve (ph.), Paul (ph.), and Mark (ph.) for the work that they have been doing since this was brought to our attention. At no time did we just, simply, ring our hands and say, oh well. We immediately went to the Town Manager and sought funding and solutions. And since the renovation was underway of the community center, we have continued to work on short-term solutions. As part of that, there has been an incredible amount of anxiety and people upset, and their blood pressure high over the amount of funding that was spent. 1 want to reiterate again that we would have never moved forward with that project had we known that there was other areas that were subject to water intrusion outside of the moisture in the foundation. When I was recently discussing this in an internal meeting, one of the directors in the town said, you mentioned a few things on here that the Council may not actually be Page 2 of 13 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS Page 3 of 13 NOVEMBER 15, 2022 WORK SESSION aware of., and it may appear to the public and some of the members of the Council that you're not giving them the full picture. I'm going to do that right now. You are full aware because we have made you aware of the storefronts, windows, and doors. These are construction deficiencies. We have also made you aware of the ongrad -- grade slab moistures. Again, this is another construction deficiency from original construction. Some of the stuff that we're working on internally, and have been working on -- and once again, I'll revert back to the professionals that we are fortunate enough to have on this staff, here -- is the roof. The roof is nearing it's service life and it's actually in our facilities or placement for a really big ticket for replacement. Steve Bartlett (ph.), our facilities supervisor, has been working diligently and has discovered a product that is, not only, suitable, but preferred as opposed to removing and replacing six substantial cost savings. And very shortly, we are going to use some of the budgeted money that we have for maintenance to test a big spot to make sure what they selling us -- they're selling us is what were going to buy. Roof drains. This is a really large building with lots of parapet walls on top and it would be very difficult to move all of the storm water or condensation from any of the units up there to the outside edges. So believe it or not, there are storm drains for runoff that come down through the interior walls. Those galvanized pipes are connected with, what I refer to as, a furnco but the professional term for that is a no hub. It is basically some clamps and rubber that are put on as Steve (ph.) and his staff are working to inspect and repairs those with contractors and themselves. They're noticing some deficiencies and some, just, poor installation over the years. Several of these are very, very difficult to get to. And it takes a little while for us to do that and allow the building to continue to operate. Another one that causes some stainage on the tiles -- roof leaks is one of those -- is that building has cooling lines that run everywhere in the ceiling. These copper lines basically provide service to each and every room, independently, or when you open up a ballroom, all four of those independent areas come together to provide I-IVAC. Those lines and the installation on them, often times, have condensation. So you'll see a little spot in the corner of a tile or in the cent of a tile. Most of that is from that condensation. As you'll recall from the last meeting, I referenced turkey pans that were in the suspended Page 3 of 13 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS Page 4 of 13 NOVEMBER 15, 2022 WORK SESSION ceiling. That's what those pans were doing. As opposed to removing and replacing, and/or servicing those pans, Steve and his group, along with contractors, are fixing that. Lastly, and 1 think this is important to note, while we consider the community center and what it provides this community an immense value, and we would like to address everything as quickly as we can, a couple of projects that we have been currently working on over the weekend, that you are well aware of in regards to the remediation, are relatively small projects, not only for the remediation company but the restoration company, and the testing facility, and the lab. I am grateful that they have agreed to come out here day, nights, and weekends and remain open and do this type of work for a project this small so we could accomplish the end goal, which is to rid the community center of these organic matters and repair it, and get it back open and operating. At the same time, and out of sight but critically important, there has been a contractor out there sealing these windows. I, personally, am impressed. And I've watched them several times, now, actually applying their product. For those of you who may have an opportunity, please go over and look. This company is -- all they do is sealing caulking. And they were actually able to tent color. The material that they're using to match our trim that we just had painted -- and unless you look really, really close, you almost can't tell that this new stuff is there. Again, Eugene Beers is going to -- excuse me, Eugene Buick is going to share a bunch of additional information with you regarding what we have done, what we intend to do, and were going to need to do in the future. But I thought it was critical to share some of the upfront information with you about what's going on currently. With that, Mr. Buick, and if you would, please? BUICK: Thank you, Justin. You're welcome. Good evening, Madam Mayor and Council, Grady, Aaron. What I'm going to do today is review several of the action items, priority items, short-term repairs, and long-term repairs. I do want to preface this discussion in that there are some, what's classified as a, short-term repair may actually be a longer -term repair. And that is the wet seal. In our industry, in the waterproofing and building and envelope industry, it is common practice for high rises to go through a wet seal process. Provided that it's installed and executed correctly -- and I'll give you and example of what that means and what that Page 4 of 13 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS Page 5 of 13 NOVEMBER 15, 2022 WORK SESSION includes. So as far as the action items, since September, there have been many events. Justin touched on the organic growth. And what's happened is there have been lab -- there's been testing that's been performed. The interior wall cavities were sampled. And in some instances, there were microbial samples found. And the plan was to hire restoration companies to remove that drywall and clean these areas. Along with this, there was also and HBAC balance test that was performed by Omega Test and Balance. There's a report in progress. But the report from the vendor is the system is performing a very close to original design specs. In addition to that, there were three sewer line contractors that we reached out to, and three -- two of the three, unfortunately, didn't provide a quote. But two additional contractors did visit the site and provided quotes to -- to review the sewer lines and line the sewer lines. So a lot of work's happening, here, at the site. Gensler, and architectural firm, has been reached out to as well and discussions are ongoing with them to prepare a price to look at the whole building repair design. And of course, the caulking contractor is currently sealing the windows. So these areas that are being repaired, the goal is not only to repair these areas and allow them to continue to get wet, but the goal is to repair them and then seal them at the same time to stop the water from entering these cavities. The staff also prepared a water intrusion map in mid -October. And then also, we were asked to prepare this prioritization plan. So I won't read through all of these, but the bottom line is remediation of lobby's complete and the interior drywall is repaired at the time we prepared this presentation. And actively, the windows and doors are being sealed. There's another roof -- roof problem area about one hundred eight -- 850 square feet that will be repaired. That's going to happen the third week of November, 1 guess. BARTLETT: Sony, say that again? BUICK: The repair work for the roof. BARTLETT: Oh, that's supposed to be starting the third week in November. BUICK: Third week of November. So it's right around the corner. There's another area being explored and that's the slab. There's a moisture issue there and what's being discussed is in -- introduced as using a blanket barrier. I guess, the Page 5 of 13 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS Page 6 of 13 NOVEMBER 15, 2022 WORK SESSION contractor injects a material to stop and mitigate the moisture issues. So just as a reminder, I did review some near -term review options. The wet sealing of the windows, which is now underway. That includes application of sealants around the perimeter of the windows. Also several doors were repaired or sealed. I think it was about eleven doors where there were sealants applied and thresholds reset in sealant. In terms of other short-term repair options for consideration but not underway yet, are trench drains and sockets to manage the water flow near the drains. And then, also, replacement of some of the hardscape. There is an area by the, I guess would be, the senior services area where there's reverse slope and ponding water. And that is going to be demolished and possibly replaced with more of a softscape or decomposed granite to help water drain out. Repairs to interior finishes have been ongoing. And the, of course, once these wet seals are performed, we recommend spray testing some of these wet seals and see if water intrusion has, either, stopped or reduced greatly. So that -- that's around the corner, as well. So let's talk about the near -term solution. To help explain what a wet seal is, you could see this gentleman, he's using a tool. He's using a tool that has helped -- what it does is help shape the sealant. That's -- that's -- that's a great installation method and I was please to hear that the contractor that you hired is using tools. The other way that some of us would use is our finger, and then you wet it a little bit so that your finger doesn't get stuck to the sealant. And unfortunately, sometimes you do see that but not -- not in this case. And you can see how beautiful these sealants look on the photo on the right where it's perfectly coved, it's barely visible. And then, you do also have some of these tapes and sealants that are applied over joints. So the challenge with these windows and assemblies is you have a lot ofjointery which allow water in. And if the seal -- if the system wasn't installed correctly in the first place, water just gets in and -- in so many ways. So the wet sealing contractor's applying sealant, not only between the glass, and the frame, and the frame of the perimeter, but also at these joints to help stop water from coming in. Near -tern solutions reminder. What's still being explored is grinding and sloping the trench drain. One way is to grind the reverse -slope concrete. The other way is to Page 6 of 13 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS Page 7 of 13 NOVEMBER 15. 2022 WORK SESSION introduce a sloping compound. So those are being studied right now. In terms of a priority, windows and doors a priority number one. Reverse -slope patio, particularly at the senior service area, is a priority. And then the second on the list would be address these window sills and reverse -slope concrete, and exploring these trench drains. So I prepared some round estimates. The window, I had a round estimate of 75,000 to 90,000. Your current contract's actually less than 20,000 right now for the wet sealing. So you have a local vendor, experienced, using the right tools, and thus far, looks like they're going to be under 20. Doors, those -- some repairs have already occurred and those will continue to -- to be worked on. And then, of course, the reverse -slope concrete, roughly 25 to 35,000, depending on what sort of softscape material you go back with. And then, 30 to 40,00 for the reverse -slope concrete. And 50 to 75,000 for trench drains. So all in all, there's a estimated budget over the next coming year, year and a half, of about quarter million to 355,000. Now, it looks like, with some of the recent pricing that you received for the window wet sealing, for example, that this number's going to be less. But nonetheless, it's a round figure right now. In terms of the schedule for the near -term items, the window, door sealing, and concrete patio removal, it's -- the work's started and it's going to continue through June 2023. Reverse -slope concrete and fence drains, probably somewhere around June 2024. And you know, it 's easy to say that, look, we want to do this work but you have to plan it out. You have to do a little bit of engineering. Draw some drawings and help bid some of this work out. So this will be an ongoing process. As far as the window and door sealing, although we classify it as a near -term solution, if ifs properly executed, it tests out through the water testing, it could be something that lasts five years, ten years, fifteen years actually. Wet sealing's a very, very common method of treating issues. Now, 1 do have long-term recommendations and these were discussed at the prior presentation. The long-term recommendations are really dependent on the outcome of these short-term solutions. And as I've indicated, the short-term solutions, if they're successful, may actually help reduce the scope -- reduce the scope. But I'm not going to Page 7 of 13 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS Page 8 or 13 NOVEMBER 15, 2022 WORK SESSION assume it's going to work, I'm going to present what this could include, potentially. The replacement of the windows, the doors. And replacing windows is not easy because it integrates with the stucco and the effuse. And what you have to do is, you have to remove this material around the perimeter of the window and you can imagine -- there's two ways to approach this. You just do a localized patch and patch it back in. And for those of you who have -- who have replaced your windows or seen other projects where windows get replaced, you can often times see the patch. This is a first-class building, you're going to want to actually blend all the patches. And what that means is were not just replacing the windows, you're going to repair and repatch a portion of the effuse and stucco, but also reskim the finish, which is -- which means it costs money. So -- but -- but done right, it can look really good. And then, of course, you have to coat and patch it. There's an option here for additional grinding. Once the windows are doors are removed, additional hardscape work and -- when you do remove a window, you do have to do a little bit of drywall work, as well, around the perimeter so you can properly install these assemblies. And then these systems also include additional sheet metal. So sheet metal underneath the window assemblies. Sheet metal above the window assemblies. So -- and you know, and then when you do restoration work, you also have to consider the -- the unknown. Right. And -- and with proper planning, you consider the unknown. There are unforeseen condition -- conditions so you include contingency. And then design inspection fees run twelve to fifteen percent. So from a conservative approach, if we have to replace the windows, if you have to replace the doors, if you have to break the stucco, based on our findings, then you're looking at a preliminary budget of, roughly, $2.9 to $3.9 million dollars. But again, it's subject to the success of the short-term repairs. What does our schedule look like? And I think Grady touched on it -- actually, Justin touched on it. It -- you don't just come up with a plan for repair, you have to fund it. It takes time. You have to evaluate the various repair approaches. So the first thing is to, prior to -- actually, prior to retaining the architectural design firm, I would say, part of this is also to evaluate these water intrusion measures and then develop a capital budget. And it's going to take time. And that budget's going to involve going over through a pros Page 8 of 13 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS Page 9 of 13 NOVEMBER 15, 2022 WORK SESSION and cons session of good -better -best approaches to these window assemblies. Are there some other repairs you'd like to do at the building, alongside these window replacements such as some additional painting and embellishments around the window. Maybe some canopies. But by the time you get through that process, you're -- you're probably looking at soliciting bids somewhere in 2027. It takes a long time to plan for this and awarding a contract around October 2027 and then construction in 2028. So the hope is that the short-term repairs are successful and performing. And buys you enough time to really think through what this facility really needs. So. Any questions? MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you. Any questions? Comments? Councilman? MAGAZINE: In looking at the list and the cost, I may have missed it. I didn't see the roof. Was that in there? BUICK: It -- that's outside my scope. But -- MAGAZINE: That's an additional cost? BUICK: That's an additional cost, corrcct. MAGAZINE: You have any idea, even a ballpark? BUICK: I don't know -- Justin, do you have any idea? JUSTIN: I really can't. I don't want to make some shit up. MAYOR DICKEY: The roof is -- UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: [LAUGHTER]. MAYOR DICKEY: The roof far as replacing it or doing what you were talking about with the seal stuff? JUSTIN: Madam Mayor and Councilmembers, so this is actually just a -- basically scraping it and recoating it. And I -- I don't want to give a bad number because that's the number that people have a tendency to remember. But we know that replacing it is in the four to seven dollar a square foot, which is a big number -- BARTLETT: That's a pretty close part of it. New form -- new foam ten year will last (indiscernible) yeah, six bucks a foot plus. WELDY: And he -- so he's looking at some quotes for that type of work that we've received. But the ceiling -- and he's digging through his numbers, here -- is substantially lower. Page 9 of 13 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS Page 10 of 13 NOVEMBER 15, 2022 WORK SESSION So the sealing product that we're going to be proposing is substantially lower in cost and as effective, if not better than, replacing the roof. And again, substantially less. But that is in facilities, reserve, and maintenance. [CROSS TALK] WELDY: Separate from capital. MAGAZINE: The gentleman said it's not within the scope. And I hear the roof wasn't included. What else is not within your scope? BUICK: 1 think it's probably the roof, really. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: So -- BUICK: There are going to be other elements, HVAC and what not, are going to have some maintenance repairs, some plumbing repairs but I think were -- I'm attacking, I'm reviewing fundamentally what's contributing to the lion's share of these issues, which are the windows and doors. MAGAZINE: Obviously, we're talking a lot of contractors. Arc they all war -- do we have warranties on all of them. Will we have -- yes, Justin? You're shaking your head. On all of them? MAYOR DICKEY: Will we have what? MAGAZINE: Warranty. BUICK: Warranty. Absolutely. That's going to be in your contracts -- MAGAZINE: Okay. WELDY: -- and -- MAGAZINE: Just making sure. JUSTIN: And I just -- MAGAZINE: A lot of surprises. MILLER: -- and I just want to point out that the roof has been in our replacement plan for the building. It's not just the community center, but also the library and the museum which were built about the same time period. And it is not a conventional- type roof. It is a foam, or spray -on type roof. And what our facilities director was able to find out was that this particular process he's researched, has a sub -roof material that goes on and then it -- you do have the spray -on, or whatever, that goes over that. And then had -- 1 asked, could that be something that Page 10 of 13 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS Page 11 of 13 NOVEMBER 15, 2022 WORK SESSION after, you know, it's useful life of fifteen years, or whatever, can -- do you have to remove that or scrape it off? And he's like, no, you can go on a few more years, or a few more occasions, before you have to do that, which is very unusual for that type of a roof system. So -- BUICK: I could speak to, if I may, to the foam roof systems. Typically -- and we've designed repairs from roof systems -- and typically, you look at recoating them and getting another fifteen years life out of them, or if the surface of the foam is bad, you scarify an interest so -- and then reapply another thin layer of foam. And then, you recoat it. It is rare that you demolish it all the way down to the substrate. It's -- it's unnecessary, costly, and actually very messy. So I think, going through a coating program is typically the standard of care. FRIEDEL: You brought up the roofs. Do we know if the roofs on the other buildings arc the same as the one we have on the community center? They are? So you're product, Justin, could probably work on those other ones, as well, if it's successful'? WELDY: The intent, Councilmember, moving forward, is that if this test patch were doing works as we're being told it will, that would be what we'll use for -- moving forward on all three buildings. FRIEDEL: Do we know the roofs on the other buildings arc in good shape? I'm assuming they've been checked, right? JUSTIN: They're under regular inspection. And they're about and in relatively good condition. We don't have any real leaking or any real deterioration, so basically this is preventative maintenance is what we're looking to do here. MAYOR DICKEY: Councilman? SPELICH' Thank you, Madam Mayor. I know I'm not going to be on the Council but I'm going to make a suggestion. I suggest that you get Mr. Buick to do a comprehensive study. Yes, I'm saying to spend money on a study, so everybody stay in their chairs. ALL: [LAUGHTER]. SPELICH: I have personally been in town hall, in meetings -- I can't remember who I was meeting with, but 1 was having a meeting with somebody and it was Page 11 of 13 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS Page 12 of 13 NOVEMBER 15, 2022 WORK SESSION raining outside and it was literally raining on his credenza. So I think the same problems that are currently in the community center are in town hall and I'm not an engineer, but I know that your credenza should be dry. I suggest that we contract with you and do a study of town hall while you're hear, and look at that because I believe town hall has the exact same issues that the community center has. WELDY: We appreciate that comment. And in fact, the last visit, they did take a look at town hall. And we are currently working with the vendor that is wet sealing the community center to look at the windows on town hall. And you are correct, over the last ten or fifteen years, plus or minus, an incredible amount of money has been spent on the windows here at town hall, including completely removing one and replacing it. And we've still not had the best of luck. So we have several windows that leak. His firm, along with the firm that is currently working on the community center -- and keep in mind, part of this team moving forward very shortly -- our procurement specialist is working on a contract -- is to have an architectural firm join with Allana, Buick & Bers on this project moving forward. And that architectural firm, their specialty is this type, which is primarily construction deficiencies. We will have them on board very, very shortly. And well start picking up a little bit of speed in this marathon as we race towards the end. MAYOR DICKEY: So at -- nothing that were doing so far needs the architect yet? That's just -- even the grading and the drains and all that? MILLER: Yeah, but we do want to bring it on pretty soon [CROSS TALK] MILLER: -- because it helps -- BUICK: Sooner -- sooner than later. And also understanding the results, you know, of these short-term repairs. MILLER: And help because, as an example, you know, if we're looking at storefront windows for the community center, it's specking out the right windows and seeing if the architect can come up with some, you know, other types of options that are, maybe, lower cost that have the same look and appearance. And certainly, seal in the building. So I think it's important because it's more than just going and buying windows, it's -- you got to make sure that one, it -- it integrates with the Page 12 of 13 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS Page 13 of 13 NOVEMBER 15, 2022 WORK SESSION building as it was originally designed and the way it looks. But also make sure it's doing what it's intended to do, which is keep the water outside the building. MAYOR DICKEY: All right. Any further comments? Th -- yes, Mike? SCHARNOW: I know this is probably rather miniscule in the big picture, here, but I mean, with the newer windows and that, I mean, is there -- if we do replace the doors and windows down the road, 1 mean, is there a significant energy savings, or just small, or do we know that? BUICK: Certainly, there's going to be improvement. 1 can't tell you what percentage but better -- a better seal, maybe a little bit less abuse of the mechanical systems. So certainly a more thermal efficient system. There's always added benefit. MAYOR DICKEY: Great. Good thoughts. Thank you, so much. Thank you for the report. And Justin and everybody, we look forward to moving forward on this. Any other comments? Yes? MILLER: So you'll be seeing more information that, when we come back to the council retreat, as you start to look at the preliminary facility's reserve and also the capital improvement program, you'll start to see, at least, some placeholders in future years related to the community center and the roofs, as well. MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you. There's nothing else. We're adjourned. Page 13 of 13