Show All Answers

1. Why are we evaluating our public safety and City Hall facilities?

Our buildings are in need of upgrades and expansion to accommodate the City’s current and future operational, public safety, and disaster preparedness needs. Most of the buildings where City staff work are ill-suited to City functions, in need of significant rehabilitation, many lack technology and energy efficiency and they were not built under current building codes and standards. In addition to the need for significant renovation and modernization to provide critical services to the community, additional space and co-location of services is needed to address the operational needs of the City to provide a high level of day-to-day customer service. Rapidly rising costs to operate, repair, and maintain our current outdated facilities has a negative impact on City finances, which is a growing concern.

Changing needs in community expectations, work culture, and accelerating change in technology, are demanding more efficient ways to provide better service to the public. Due to a succession of earthquakes, floods, and wildfires in recent years, Napa is acutely aware of the need for public safety and administration facilities, which includes the City’s Emergency Operations Center, that are able to better serve our community before, during, and after these emergencies.

2. What are we doing to address our facility needs?

At City Council’s direction, considerable work has been done to assess project goals and needs, and to revisit existing space needs and site analyses. Here is a recap of the work that has been completed to date, as well as a snapshot of what the community can expect in the coming months.

On December 11, 2018, staff shared an update on the project with City Council, which included changes to the project team, a financial forecast overview, and a discussion of project options. Ultimately, the City Council requested that staff perform a deeper analysis on project options for some version of a Public Safety and City Hall Facilities project and return with these options for review. Council formed an Ad Hoc Committee consisting of Vice Mayor Scott Sedgley and Councilmember Mary Luros to work directly with staff, and also directed staff to prioritize communication with the community and City employees.

On March 5, 2019, staff returned to City Council to review project goals set forth by the City Council when the original project request for proposals was issued in 2017. Council carefully reviewed and affirmed each goal, added two additional goals - which were to increase communication and community involvement and develop a project that is within the City’s financial capacity to support - and unanimously committed to moving forward with finding solutions for updating public safety and City Hall facilities.

With the City Council’s direction in mind, and with a commitment to take a measured approach, the project team will: 

•    Assess the condition of current facilities that are in need of repair or upgrades and lack current technology, then determine the best way to address these issues

•    Engage the community and staff in the project planning process

•    Consider community needs when it comes to accessing City services

•    Address staff needs for delivering accessible and efficient service to the community every day and especially during emergencies

•    Evaluate the City’s current financial forecast to better understand what options will be affordable and how best to balance the costs associated with either maintaining or upgrading current facilities, and/or building new facilities

•    Analyze potentially feasible project sites for the proposed project, within a geographical boundary approved by Council

On May 30, 2019, the community was invited to the first in a new series of workshops to gather additional feedback and input on the Public Safety and City Hall Facilities Project. In this first workshop, the community was asked to share how they currently access and utilize City services, as well as how they would like to see services offered in the future. This information helped us establish a baseline for customer service and work flow.

At the July 23, 2019 City Council meeting, the Council directed staff to further research two different site areas for potential project locations. 

On September 17, 2019, the Project Delivery Team presented their additional analysis, findings and recommendations on these two sites to the City Council. The presentation included an in-depth breakdown of the criteria used to research each site, such as flood considerations, estimated site preparation costs, estimated swing space impacts, and more. 

Direction was given from the City Council to move forward with preparing project alternatives for Site Area A with costs, pros and cons and other key considerations, to be brought back to the City Council once again in late fall. Staff also continued to look at all options, from current baseline conditions to renovating/expanding to all new facilities. This ongoing analysis, which included the facility condition inspections that began in early fall, was used as the guiding design framework for any improvements and investment in future facilities. 

At the November 19, 2019 City Council meeting, Council reviewed potential site alternatives and financing options for the proposed campus and gave direction to staff on next steps.

On Tuesday, January 21st, 2019, City Council will review staff recommendations on project alternatives and financial plans and recommend next steps for the project.

3. What’s next and how can you get involved?

On May 30, 2019, the community was invited to the first in a new series of workshops to gather additional feedback and input on the Public Safety and City Hall Facilities Project. In this first workshop, the community was asked to share how they currently access and utilize City services, as well as how they would like to see services offered in the future. This information helped us establish a baseline for customer service and work flow. In the following months, the community will be invited to participate in online surveys, pop-up events at Farmers Markets, and additional workshops to share feedback and input. Project updates will be shared on the City’s website and social media, as well as through the newspaper and local radio. Residents are also encouraged to attend upcoming City Council meetings, where the project team will provide the following:

On July 23, 2019, City staff presented City Council with an informational summary report, with incorporated feedback and input gathered from the community, on updated evaluations of space needs, information gathered on potential sites, and criteria for development of project alternatives.You can view the meeting details and video here.

On November 17,2019, City Council was presented with a report that will include alternatives for the project, as well as an analysis of pros, cons, schedules, costs and other key items for consideration. Another community workshop will be held to gather feedback from residents, business owners and key stakeholders on the project alternatives set forth by staff.

On January 21, 2020, City Council will review potential project alternatives, receive staff recommendations and hear public comment on these alternatives, and then provide direction based on this feedback.

Project Alternatives on Display at City Hall

From mid-December to January 9th there will be a display of Project Alternatives in the lobby of City Hall, open from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday.

Project Presentations for the Community

There will be four public presentations about the project.

Wednesday, December 11 at 4:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, January 9, at 4:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Choose a meeting date and time that works best for you! There will be a brief presentation at the start of each meeting. All meetings will be in City Council Chambers, 955 School Street.

Get Involved and Learn More

For more information, including project updates and history, please stay tuned to our project website - www.cityofnapa.org/PublicSafetyandCityHall. You can also take our community survey online and share your feedback on the project.

 follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Nextdoor.