San Joaquin County

Standing tall┬áThe San Joaquin County Administration Building to open in August 2009 is a testament to the fiscal responsibility of the county working in conjunction with the revitalization efforts of downtown Stockton, California. Gabe Karam tells Linda Seid Frembes all about it. CaliforniaÔÇÖs San Joaquin County is a beautiful stretch of land located on the San Joaquin River. One of the stateÔÇÖs original counties, it has quickly become a hub for businesses as well as residents who commute to nearby cities.┬áCounty government has kept pace with the growth by investing in capital building projects like the recently completed 55,000-square-foot agricultural center that houses offices for the agricultural commissioner and the co-op extension office, as well as the countyÔÇÖs Office of Emergency Services. The county is in the process of designing a jail expansion that will add 1,280 new beds, financed by a combination of county and state funds.ÔÇ£Planning is key to our success. We follow a master plan that looks at capital needs over the next five years and financing those needs with a mix of grants and state and county funds,ÔÇØ explains Gabe Karam, director of capital projects, who is responsible for all new buildings for the county and whose office reports to the county administrator. In August 2009, the new County Administration Building will be another grand step in resident services that will also serve double duty to help revitalize downtown Stockton. Located on the corner of Weber and San Joaquin Streets, the new building will consolidate 16 different support and service departments that will increase efficiency for residents and county workers alike.ÔÇ£There are several departments in leased spaces that were scattered over the city,ÔÇØ says Karam. ÔÇ£Placing them in the same building addresses common needsÔÇöthey all work with the Board of Supervisors, the county administrator, and the auditor-controller. For citizens, it means they can come and pay their taxes on the first floor and then go to the second floor to obtain marriage licenses, birth certificates, information about their business and home assessments, or answers to questions about their parcel maps.ÔÇØAccording to the countyÔÇÖs design plan, the building will be six stories tall and encompass approximately 250,000 square feet. The departments that have the most contact with the public will be located on the lower two levels of the building. ÔÇ£The lot that the building is built upon was mostly a parking lot and a small, old building,ÔÇØ explains Karam. ÔÇ£The city has undertaken a huge effort to revitalize downtown Stockton, and the new building brings new life and increased foot traffic to the area.ÔÇØNot only did San Joaquin County create an efficient layout for the consolidated departments, it also required that the building attain LEED certification and be completed in less than two years. To achieve these goals, the county decided on a design-build model with a fixed construction budget of nearly $93 million. Hensel-Phelps Construction and its design partner, Fentress Architects, was awarded the project. ÔÇ£Hensel-Phelps is very knowledgeable with the design-build process, which is how we can deliver a large building in a short period of time,ÔÇØ adds Karam. ÔÇ£The timeline was stipulated in our bid, that it had to happen fast.ÔÇØ A pleasant surprise for Karam and his team was that, though the project was required to achieve LEED Silver, the design-build team promised that the building would meet LEED Gold standards. ÔÇ£LEED was an environmentally conscious decision. Our request for proposals originally asked for LEED Silver, but the design-build team offered a LEED Gold building for no additional cost,ÔÇØ says Karam. ÔÇ£The small cost, typically less than one percent to obtain a LEED Gold, will be offset by the energy savings within three to five years. There are also solar panels on the roof, but we expect to achieve our return on investment in 15 years, since that technology is still developing and the costs are higher.ÔÇØKaram notes that LEED regulations result in a healthy environment and encourage the use of recycled and low-emitting materials, resulting in overall better air quality. ÔÇ£Plus, California has very stringent building codes already, so LEED doesnÔÇÖt add a huge cost to it,ÔÇØ he says.The county anticipates that the building will be finished in 20 months, plus the time to move furniture, IT systems, and staff will equal 24 months. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖll take ownership of the building in the first week of June, then another five to six weeks to move the furniture,ÔÇØ he explains. ÔÇ£The project started in August 2007, and I expect to have people in the building by August 2009.ÔÇØThe buildingÔÇÖs total budget will reach $108 million, which includes moving costs as well as $1.6 million for art pieces created by local artists. ÔÇ£Some people think the County may be spending too much; others think it is not spending enough. But the art will enhance the idea that the building reflects the character and revitalization of Stockton and of San Joaquin County, beginning in the lobby and then throughout the building.ÔÇØThe lobby features a framed, multi-story glass atrium that was imported from China and symbolizes the openness of county government. The lobby floor, assembled from various kinds of stone, also represents the elements of the region. According to the countyÔÇÖs design plan, ÔÇ£the design for the stone flooring in the lobby was inspired by the agrarian farming patterns outside of Stockton. Differing granite hues form abstracted representations of rural land parcels.ÔÇØÔÇ£When you walk up the stairs and look down from the second floor, the aerial view of the lobby floor depicts San Joaquin farmlands with water channels crossing it,ÔÇØ says Karam. ÔÇ£The water theme is carried outside the building to a water feature. From the front it looks like a ship sailing through the delta, but from the back it looks like a plow tilling the soil.ÔÇØKaram credits the great leadership at the top level (the Board of Supervisors) and the county administratorÔÇÖs office. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖve always followed a fiscally conservative policy that is responsible. Building projects like the administration building take the long-term view of costs up front versus later cost savings,ÔÇØ he adds. ÔÇ£A partner like Hensel-PhelpsÔÇöwhich has a strong work ethic, is well organized, and maintains a good relationship with its subcontractorsÔÇömakes the project a success.ÔÇØ ÔÇô Editorial research by Dan Finn┬á