City Council will have a busy week, starting with its meeting as the Board of Commissioners for the Williamsburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority on Monday. Later this week, council will review a proposal for a new Stryker Center at its Thursday meeting.
City Council to Discuss Stryker Project on Thursday
City Council will get its first look at a proposal to build a new Stryker Center at its Thursday meeting. Its work session, scheduled for Monday, has been canceled.
The proposal, submitted by a team led by Henderson Inc. and Guernsey Tingle Architects, was unsolicited. Architects and contractors can submit unsolicited proposals under the state’s Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act of 2002.
The city can either reject or accept the idea for the purpose of publication and further consideration; if approved for publication, competing proposals would be accepted for at least 45 days. Cost estimates cannot be disclosed for PPEA proposals because the financial information is proprietary.
If the city chooses to take that route, city staff recommends setting April 12 as the deadline for competing proposals. By the time council has to adopt its operating and capital budgets May 9, staff would have a recommendation for entering an agreement for the design and construction of the Stryker Center.
At their January budget retreat, City Council members acknowledged a new Stryker Building is needed, but were divided on whether it should be made a priority. Council agreed to wait for the PPEA proposal and to gather input from the Economic Development Authority and Planning Commission before ruling the project out for the fiscal year 2014 Capital Improvements Program.
The current building, constructed in 1967, does not meet American Disabilities Act requirements because of the small size of its elevator. Additionally, a report conducted several years ago indicated the presence of mold, according to City Manager Jack Tuttle. It is primarily used for board and commission meetings.
See the concept for the Stryker Center here.
Council to Meet as WRHA Board on Monday
City Council will have its first Williamsburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority on Monday.
Council formally took over as the Board of Commissioners for the WRHA in October. The WRHA’s previous board asked council to assume leadership due to declining Housing and Urban Development funding and limited availability.
The next steps in the transition includes approvals of a memorandum of understanding and employment agreement with the city, approval of amended bylaws to reflect the memorandum and the appointment of a permanent executive director.
The proposed memorandum of understanding would create the public housing advisory committee and make WRHA employees become city employees who would manage and maintain the city’s public housing sites. The WRHA will reimburse the city for the employee’s salaries and benefits.
Management of the Triangle Building would be assigned to the Economic Development Office, and a new position would be created to support the effort.
Human Services Director Peter Walentisch has been recommended to assume the role of permanent executive director for WRHA.
The WRHA meeting will begin at 4 p.m. Monday in the Stryker Building.
