Administrative Office Building Options and Survey

Linn County Services Housed in Building

November 2008 Research Study

Evaluation Criteria for Building Options

Open Houses Times & Locations

Printer Friendly Version of Options and Additional Info  (3MB .pdf)

• This option is to repair flood damage to the existing Linn County Administrative Office Building.
• Parking spaces available: 233
• FEMA would also provide $500,000 for flood mitigation to move mechanical/electrical equipment out of the basement and to seal underground steam and communication pipes.
• The Administrative Office Building is outside the 100-year and 500-year flood plains and behind the proposed flood walls.
• Check valves will be added to underground sanitary sewer lines.
• Linn County has applied for the following two grants related to the energy efficiency/sustainability of the existing Administrative Office Building:
  1. $317,000 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant, Department of Energy
  2. $358,000 State Energy Program, State of Iowa Office of Energy Independence.
  Potential award dates for these grants are not known at this time.

• The Linn County Administrative Office Building Renovation and Expansion Option earned the second highest score of nearly 140 I-JOBS Grant Program applications from the entire state of Iowa. However, the I-JOBS Board asked that Linn County gather more public input by November 2009, before reconsidering funding of the project.
• Should there be funds remaining after I-JOBS' initial allocation, and if Linn County satisfactorily meets the Board's request of garnering public input, the I-JOBS Board could award the Linn County Administrative Office Building Renovation and Expansion Option a portion of or the entire amount of construction costs requested--$8,802,297.
• If I-JOBS funding is not available, Linn County could present a bond issue to Linn County residents for approval for all or a portion of the renovation and expansion costs. Passage of a county bond issue requires sixty percent approval of those voting.
• Linn County has applied for the following two grants related to the energy efficiency/sustainability of the existing Administrative Office Building.
  1. $317,000 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant, Department of Energy
  2. $358,000 State Energy Program Grant, State of Iowa Office of Energy Independence.
  Potential award dates for these grants are not known at this time.
• Administrative Office Building Renovation and Expansion would include:
  • Parking spaces available: 233
  • A third floor to address Linn County office space needs that existed prior to the flood.
  • The basement would be used as the Board of Supervisors meeting room, conference and training rooms and an employee break room.
  • Expansion would allow the Linn County civil attorneys to move from the courthouse to this building to be closer to the departments they work with daily.
  • Electrical and mechanical equipment would be moved from the basement.
  • Underground steam and communications pipes would be sealed to prevent future water back-up.
  • Check valves would be added to underground sanitary sewer lines.
  • The Linn County Treasurer's Office would be moved to the main level for easy customer access.
  • Seating would be added to waiting areas.
  • The lobby would include a widened, enclosed staircase and improved signage.
  • The Administrative Office Building is outside the 100-year and 500-year flood plains and behind the proposed flood walls.

• Parking spaces available: 553
• This option would provide an excess of approximately 40,000 square feet of usable space. This space could be used for other government services.
• If Linn County selects this option, the property would be removed from the Linn County tax rolls.
• Linn County would be required to bring the former Steve and Barry's retail space up to current building codes for long-term use. This process is outlined on pages 8-23 of the Howard R. Green Company feasibility study of the space and affiliated costs are included in the estimated remodeling cost. Click here to easily access the feasibility study.

• Parking spaces available: 565
• This option would provide an excess of approximately 35,000 square feet of usable space. This space could be used for other government services.
• If Linn County were to select this option, the property would be removed from the Linn County tax rolls.

• Co-location among the City of Cedar Rapids, Linn County and the Cedar Rapids School District continues to be explored by the staff and boards of these three organizations.
• In the late fall of 2008, Linn County commissioned a research study which showed: Linn County residents are interested in exploring locating City of Cedar Rapids, Linn County and Cedar Rapids School District offices together if it means services can be provided more conveniently.
• At this time, the City of Cedar Rapids has identified three co-location options:
  1. A Community Operations Center--A centralized facility that could house infrastructure, operations departments, and a centralized fleet maintenance center.
  2. A Community Safety Center--A new training facility that could accommodate police and fire, classroom needs, skills training functions, joint communications and storage.
     
     (Note: The Linn County Jail has been repaired and is operational. The Sheriff's Office building will be operational by December 2009.)
  3. A Community Services Center--A single campus that could support administrative and customer service functions. It would have enclosed connections between the structures and the potential for shared parking and conference facilities.