To: Board of Supervisors
From: County Administrative Office
Agenda Section: Departmental
SUBJECT:
title
Rio Dell Branch Library and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliance
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RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Receive the staff report on the Rio Dell Branch Library’s ADA compliance efforts; and
2. Direct staff to work with the City of Rio Dell to secure the site located at 203 Wildwood Avenue or City Hall to relocate the Rio Dell Library Branch.
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SOURCE OF FUNDING:
Library Fund (1500)
ADA Compliance Fund (3552)
DISCUSSION:
As a condition of the county’s consent decree with the United States Department of Justice, the county must remediate ADA-related barriers at the Rio Dell Library on or before Sept. 7, 2019. There are several options to consider regarding remediation, including relocating the library, performing construction at the existing site, or potentially combining services with the Fortuna Library. This report contains information on each of those options.
On Dec. 18, 2018, your Board received a report on the findings at sites identified for the possible relocation of the Rio Dell Branch Library. Those sites included Triangle Park, Rio Dell City Hall grounds or the city parking lot at 203 Wildwood Ave. At this meeting your Board provided further direction to staff to explore barrier removal at the existing Rio Dell Library site at the county’s expense.
Triangle Park
As reported Triangle Park was assessed by the county’s ADA consultant and determined that due to the challenges and constraints at this particular location this site was not recommended for relocation.
203 Wildwood Avenue
The county’s ADA consultant reviewed the vacant parking lot located at 203 Wildwood Avenue, Rio Dell and its adjacent parcel. As discussed the adjacent parcel would need to be purchased to place a modular unit on the property. Construction cost estimates to relocate to this site are $369,840 and did not include the purchase or leasing of the adjacent parcel or rezoning the parcel from residential. The City of Rio Dell has received an appraisal of $180,000 for the vacant parcel. On Jan. 3, 2019, the Rio Dell City Council voted to not pursue the purchase of the adjacent parcel at 203 Wildwood Avenue.
Should your Board choose to relocate to 203 Wildwood Avenue the county or city would need to purchase the adjacent lot. Depending upon negotiations with the city, staff may need to come back to your Board with a funding request for additional funds to purchase the property as project costs would exceed the $400,000 contributed to the ADA budget on Nov. 13, 2018, for the Rio Dell Library Project.
Total estimated cost for this option is $549,840.
Rio Dell City Hall
As previously reported the county’s ADA consultant also looked at the Rio Dell City Hall site and determined this site would work but is not ideal. The slope of this site is the most challenging feature with regard to accommodating an ADA-compliant pathway. The sidewalk needs to be long enough to meet the ADA slope requirements.
The construction estimate for this option is $304,842. This includes the cost of purchasing a modular unit to house the library at this location. The City of Rio Dell would fund $55,125 toward an ADA-compliant path of travel from the transit stop and the frontage sidewalk to Rio Dell City Hall. This would not be a credit toward the above construction estimate.
Total estimated cost for this option is $304,842.
Removing barriers at the existing site
The estimated cost to remove barriers (for the consent decree items and remaining barriers) at the existing Rio Dell Library site is $153, 430, which includes design and construction. This cost includes design and construction of identified ADA barriers at the existing Rio Dell Library site and does not include path of travel barriers from the nearest bus stop to the site, which would be the responsibility of the City of Rio Dell.
The property owner, Rio Dell Fire Protection District, has stated that it does not have the funding to perform the required construction. In addition, the fire district is not willing to sell the property. However, the fire district is willing to enter in to a long-term lease with the county for the property. Below are some notable terms of the proposed lease agreement:
• 15-year lease
• $1,000 per month rent to be renegotiated at the end of the term (the county currently pays $250 a month in rent, with the lease expiring April 31, 2020)
• Building would be leased as is
• County is solely responsible for ADA barrier removal project and cost
• Fire district is responsible for the exterior of the building.
Total estimated cost is $153,430, for construction plus an additional $9,000 in annual rent and ongoing maintenance.
Due to the costs associated with this option, staff no longer recommends working with the Rio Dell Fire Protection District on ADA barrier removal at the Rio Dell Library’s current location.
Other options to consider
Should working with the City of Rio Dell not produce a location, your Board may consider consolidating Rio Dell Branch Library services with the Fortuna Branch Library therefore closing the Rio Dell Library. Circulation at the Rio Dell Branch Library is the lowest of the library branches at 1.3 percent of the total library circulation. The Rio Dell Library’s total circulation number is based on check-outs and check-ins and was 12,316 items for the period of May 2017 through May 2018. This number equates to approximately 80 items per day that the Rio Dell library is open.
The Rio Dell Branch Library is open three days a week. It is open Tuesdays and Saturdays form 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Wednesdays from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. During August 2018 the Rio Dell Library hosted a total of 15 kids programs with attendance of 156 people, 52 children participated in the Library’s annual Summer Reading program and over 80 percent of the books checked out at Rio Dell Library are children’s books.
Remaining ADA barrier removal at the Fortuna Branch Library is estimated at $21,000.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
On Nov. 13, 2018, your Board approved a contribution to the ADA budget (3552-152) of $400,000 for the ADA Rio Dell Library project. Depending on the option your Board chooses, additional funding may be needed to complete the project.
The estimate provided by the county’s consultant for placing a modular at city hall is $304,842. The estimate provided by the county’s consultant for placing a modular at the vacant parking lot located at 203 Wildwood Avenue, Rio Dell is $369,840 and does not include the purchase of the adjacent parcel. Estimated ADA barrier removal at the Rio Dell library’s existing location is $153,430. This option would include an additional $9,000 per year in rent, plus maintenance costs. Remaining ADA barrier removal at the Fortuna Branch Library is estimated at $21,000.
STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK:
This action supports your Board’s Strategic Framework by protecting vulnerable populations , fostering transparent, accessible and user-friendly services, and providing community-appropriate levels of service.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
City of Rio Dell
Rio Dell Fire Protection District
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
Your Board could choose to continue to look for options to relocate the Rio Dell Library or do nothing. This is not recommended as the county may be subject to fines for non-compliance, as the Rio Dell Library is a facility identified by the Department of Justice with ADA barriers that must be removed prior to the termination of the consent decree, Sept. 7, 2019.
ATTACHMENTS:
2019-01-11 Rio Dell Fire Protection Letter
2018-08-23 Rio Dell Fire Protection Letter
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Board Order No.: I-1, I-2, I-1, I-3
Meeting of: 9/25/18, 10/9/18, 11/13/18, 12/18/18
File No.: 18-1189,18-1331,18-1488,18-1556