Boulder City Council · Document
Attachment C - Facilities Scenarios
Study Session, May 14, 2026 · item Study Session Items2: Ballot Measures Staff Time: 30 Min Council Time: 60 Min · 9 pages
This is the text extracted from the file, without its layout, tables, or images. Use the original for anything that matters.
ATTACHMENT C Facilities Investment Scenarios April 30, 2026 At the April 9, 2026, Council Study Session on the Facilities Investment Strategy staff recommended “developing investment scenarios across a mix of priority buildings. The mix of investment scenarios will be considered by council as part of the potential 2026 ballot measures May 14 Study Session.” This attachment provides details on the scenarios being developed and our initial basic assumptions, along with background on the projects’ development process and the stage we are in currently. We are not making any decisions, nor are we asking council to make any project decisions at this council meeting. We are seeking feedback on the scenarios which will be used as a basis to poll the community on what they would like to support and prioritize. Based on community feedback, further economic analysis, and financial and legal advisement, the scenarios will evolve and more specific options will be developed. Background on Project Scoping and Development There are 15 priority buildings that need major renovation or replacement. We are in the first phase of project development –– identifying the need for project (see diagram below). At this point, we have very high-level goals, we have a very basic understanding of the program (i.e., the activities and services that will be designed for through the project), and we are investigating, through the ballot measures discussion, the financial feasibility of these projects. No one specific project has been defined or funded at this stage in the process and that leaves open numerous possibilities and options for further refinement. This is also where there is most room in cost estimation certainty. There can be as much as a 50 percent swing in either direction on the cost of a specific project. At this point, what we are bringing forward is very rough orders of magnitude of project cost to ground a realistic discussion on financial feasibility. At the end of this very first phase, a project is either funded or not through the city’s annual budgeting process. Once a project is funded, we enter the next phase of project definition when we typically hire a full design and engineering team to begin design options, conduct technical investigations and analysis, and further refine requirements of the project. Costs become further refined around more specific project goals and objectives, specific conditions, constraints, and requirements, such as engineering or code requirements, etc. As a project nears a real construction start, other factors, such as market conditions that affect construction pricing, become more certain and able to be locked into cost estimates. 1
ATTACHMENT C Facilities Investment Scenarios April 30, 2026
By including all 15 priority buildings, we are developing 15 projects, many of which relate to and influence each other. This creates a lot of space for opportunity and exploration of various options but makes economic analysis more complex. The approach in the scenarios is to show a mix of potential projects, with rough costs to demonstrate magnitude of scale of a project and how those projects balance within a total funding envelope. When we can narrow these six scenarios down to just a few and after receiving community input on priorities for investment, further refinement of specific projects and costs can be completed. Costs of individual projects will be balanced within the available funding, and the projects will be developed proportionately to the successful scenario and how investments should be weighed. Scenarios Before developing scenarios, some general assumptions have been made. General Assumptions •
•
Fire Stations 2, 4 and East Boulder Community Center: These projects are all funded and advancing, so they are presumed complete and not included as part of any future scenario. Age Well West: An assumption is being made that the current Age Well West building will not be renovated or replaced on the current site and that the site will be 2
ATTACHMENT C Facilities Investment Scenarios April 30, 2026
•
• •
•
sold to support older adult services being offered elsewhere. It is also assumed that Age Well Services will co-locate with other city services and not be developed as a standalone building at a new location in the future. Staff have begun to identify many options for how this transition from the current location to new location(s) could happen which will be explored and articulated in more detail as scenarios are refined. For the purposes of this discussion, it is important to know there are many options available. Eastern City Campus (ECC): The city owns 40+ acres at what is now the Municipal Services Center site. This valuable city-owned site offers the potential to consolidate many city functions currently scattered elsewhere to better serve this growing area of town for the future. One major benefit this site offers is eliminating the high land acquisition cost for some projects like a new Public Safety Building. The concept of consolidation at the ECC was first brought to council at a Study Session on Feb 12, 2019. It has been expanded through the Facilities Plan. In all the scenarios, it is assumed the ECC will be redeveloped to house a new Public Safety Building, and replacements of the Fleet Building, Municipal Services Buildings A & B. Should this site not be used for any of these future projects, land acquisition costs may need to be considered in the alternatives. ECC Infrastructure: Some amount of site infrastructure cost may be necessary to support beyond any specific project cost for projects developed at this location. Municipal Services Buildings A & B: These buildings are not suggested for replacement in this “first round” of funding mix. They will need to be considered in the future and within the context of the full Facilities Investment Strategy and 20year roadmap. Public Safety Building: It is assumed that a new Public Safety Building (PSB) will be built at the ECC. This may happen all at one time, or there could be a phased approach to build a first phase early to relieve pressure on the current PSB, which is not large enough to house all Police Department (PD) staff and then a second phase could be added in the future. This would help spread the high first-cost out overtime but would result in a higher total cost overall for Public Safety. There are many more options to be explored, which may include a two-site model, co-location with other services, etc. What is known is that the current Public Safety Building and site is not large enough to support current operations and the building and infrastructure are in failing condition. Analysis has been done on the current site to determine it is not large enough to house all Public Safety’s needs now or in the future. A new site will be needed. 3
ATTACHMENT C Facilities Investment Scenarios April 30, 2026
Building Project Descriptions Different levels of investment are shown for specific buildings depending on the scenario. For each building, there are many potential ways to invest, either all at once or over time by phasing work. There are many options for how a building may be used, it can serve an interim need before finding a different more permanent purpose. The following descriptions for each building attempt to explain what a certain funding level might achieve: •
•
•
•
Public Safety Building – Cost range is from $10M to $120M and reflects bare investment in the current building ($10M) to a full replacement building at the Eastern City Campus (ECC). Minimum investments could include refresh and remodel to some existing spaces that need to meet ADA or inclusive requirements, materials replacements. It may include remodeling for different workgroups within PD and processes if a phased approach is taken eventually relocating out of the current building. It includes basic infrastructure, equipment, and system replacements necessary to keep the building operating. Fire Stations 1, 5 & 7 – For these stations, the costs reflect investment in remodels of the current stations, not replacements of any of these buildings. Remodels could improve infrastructure and building enclosures, kitchen and living quarter remodeling, the addition or expansion of fire truck bays to accommodate additional or different vehicle and equipment configurations based on current and future FireRescue operational needs. Age Well West – There are many options for Age Well Services being explored that include ways to divest from the current property now and serve out of other locations. This building is not called out directly in the scenarios as it assumes these services will be included at another location and costs in building projects include provision of Age Well Services. Locations being considered to provide older adult services include the North and South Recreation Centers and the Tate Municipal Building after city staff vacate this building and move to the Western City Campus (WCC). Recreation Centers – Investments range from $10M, which reflects minimum improvements in the center(s) to maintain current service levels in current configurations to $150M which reflects full replacement of South and major renovation and addition at North. The ranges between these high and low ends reflect potential additional smaller and more limited remodels and improvements at each center. 4
ATTACHMENT C Facilities Investment Scenarios April 30, 2026 •
•
Tate Municipal Building – With the completion of the WCC, the Tate Municipal Building will become vacant, except for City Council and other city board/commission meetings. This is an opportunity to envision the next chapter for this historic municipal building amidst a beautiful downtown civic park in the heart of Boulder. There are also many ways to use this building in the near-term to relieve pressure on other buildings that will not be vacated through consolidation to the WCC. The investments shown from $10M to $30M reflect both near-term interim opportunities to provide space for departments and services to the potential full renovation of the building for a different long-term civic use. Fleet Services: The Fleet Services Building located at the ECC is very outdated, undersized, and does not support current service delivery standards and best practices and infrastructure and systems needs replacement. Additionally, initial concepts for the ECC all identify that Fleet is not in a good location and should be relocated on the site. Some scenarios include consideration of phasing in or full replacement of the fleet building as other developments on the ECC site begin.
Within each of the very high-level project identifications above, staff have contemplated a multitude of options for each building, potential phasing opportunities to grow into some buildings and projects over time. It is a complex jigsaw puzzle to put together. Defining the total level of funding available and where to focus investment is a critical next step to refining a specific package of projects for consideration.
Scenarios Based on Three Levels of Bond Funding For illustration, staff have prepared scenarios of how the city could potentially use general obligation bonds at different potential voter authorized bond amounts ($80M, $145M, and $200M). Under these three levels of funding, two scenarios for each have been developed showing a mix of investment options, as shown in the following diagrams. These scenarios are illustrative only and will evolve with polling input, further economic analysis, and financial and legal advisement. Additionally, the higher dollar projects will only be possible with voter approval of an amendment to Section 97 of the City Charter. The scenarios represent how costs may be balanced between community priority projects and priority building needs. Given the early stage in defining what any specific project is, what is shown is a package of projects that could be delivered within the overall funding made available. The costs for any specific project are rough, the bond amounts are, at this 5
ATTACHMENT C Facilities Investment Scenarios April 30, 2026 stage, hypothetical, and currently undefined projects would ultimately be balanced within this funding envelope. Scenario A In this scenario, there is roughly $80M in total funding available. Option A1 weights funding toward full re-investment of one recreation center, North or South, then disperses limited investments in the current Public Safety Building and in the Tate Municipal Building. The Tate Municipal Building can provide good flexible alternatives to support different services, either in an interim phase or as a more permanent location, which is why some significant level of investment in this building can be seen in all scenarios. Option A2 directs the heavier balance of funding towards development of the Eastern City Campus and an initial phase for the Public Safety Building. It suggests investments in the recreation centers that would support operations in their current state and capacity.
Scenario B 6
ATTACHMENT C Facilities Investment Scenarios April 30, 2026 This scenario builds on scenario A and provides more to each option. In B1, the suggestion is full investment in one recreation center and additional enhancements in the other to better support its current operations. It also makes funding available to consider more improvements in the Fire Stations in addition to what has already been suggested for the Public Safety Building and Tate Municipal Building. Option B2 suggests full replacement of the Public Safety Building and/or more significant investment in the ECC with much more limited investment in the recreation centers and municipal building reflecting the minimum levels of investing here.
Scenario C Again, building on the previous scenario, this version shows more in both options. C1 implies full investment in both recreation centers and the ability to make progress on Public Safety, Fire Stations and the Tate Municipal Building. C2 also is able to demonstrate significant investment in the recreation centers AND Public Safety.
7
ATTACHMENT C Facilities Investment Scenarios April 30, 2026
.
There are obvious ways to mix and match these different options, knowing the funding thresholds the community will support and where our community wants to prioritize investment will help refine these scenarios. Key takeaways from these options: • A mix of investments can be achieved in each scenario that is meaningful. The greater the level of investment overall, the less tradeoffs will need to be made and the overall time horizon for making an impact on the city’s building portfolio will be shorter. Less investment means it could take another half-century or more to address our facilities’ needs. • The less major capital investment funding is made available, the more funding will be needed year after year to maintain buildings in their current condition and to keep up with equipment and system replacement needs and failures. This will result in the highest total cost of ownership in two ways:
8
ATTACHMENT C Facilities Investment Scenarios April 30, 2026
•
o Inflation and construction cost escalation will make future projects even more expensive. o More “sunk costs” in current buildings before we can replace them. Conversely, the more major capital investment funding can be made available, less will be needed to maintain current service levels in existing buildings that will be replaced sooner, and this approach will help stay ahead of construction cost escalation.
9