Call to Order and Roll Call
The 1st meeting of the Capital Planning Advisory Board was held on Thursday, June 10, 2010, at 10:00 AM, in Room 169 of the Capitol Annex. Senator Jack Westwood, Chair, called the meeting to order, and the secretary called the roll.
Present were:
Members: Senator Jack Westwood, Co-Chair; Senator David E. Boswell, Representative Ron Crimm, David Buchta, Charles Byers, Laurie Dudgeon, Carole Henderson, John Hicks, Bill Hintze, Edmund Sauer, Katie Shepherd, and Laurel True.
Guests testifying before the Board: Al Parke, Deputy Commissioner of Adult Institutions; Mark Robinson, Director of Administrative Services; and Gunvant Shah, Chief Engineer of Instruction, Department of Corrections, Justice and Public Safety Cabinet.
LRC Staff: Don Mullis, Shawn Bowen, and Jennifer Luttrell.
Welcome New Member
Chairman Westwood welcomed Mr. Charles Byers, Chief Information Officer for the Administrative Office of the Courts, to the Capital Planning Advisory Board. Mr. Byers is replacing Mr. Doug Teague, who is no longer with the Administrative Office of the Courts.
Approval of Minutes (October 9, 2009)
There was a motion made by Senator Boswell, seconded by Mr. Buchta and adopted by voice vote to approve the minutes of the October 9, 2009 meeting.
Information Items
Shawn Bowen discussed four information items included in members’ folders: the final update of legislation passed during the 2010 General Assembly relating to the Capital Planning Advisory Board, the 2010-2012 Executive Budget Update, and two quarterly reports for the Finance and Administration Cabinet and other entities that manage their own construction programs.
In response to a question from Mr. Hintze, Mr. Hicks said $112 million in road bonds were authorized for Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) road projects in Fort Knox and $300 million highway bonds were authorized for Fiscal Year 2012.
Instructions for the 2012-2018 Agency Capital Plans
Ms. Bowen next discussed the instructions for the 2012-2018 Agency Capital Plans. She said the timeline for the capital plan is set by statute, April 15 of odd numbered years is the due date for agencies to submit their plans to the Board, and by November 1 the Board must submit its statewide Capital Improvement Plan to the heads of the three branches of government.
After the plans are received in mid-April, staff will prepare an analysis of each plan, and the Board, over the course of the spring and summer, will review each of those plans in meetings to be held here in the Annex. After all plans have been reviewed, the statewide plan is then developed prior to the November 1 due date.
There was a motion by Senator Boswell, seconded by Mr. Hicks and adopted by voice vote to approve the Instructions for the 2012-2018 Agency Capital Plans. The motion included the caveat that staff may make technical corrections as needed in finalizing the instructions for publication.
In response to a question from Mr. Hicks concerning potential changes in the Commonwealth of Technology review, Chairman Westwood said if there were changes to be made to the instructions other than technical ones, suggestions could be made to staff. He said it is not necessary to amend the motion.
Report on Northpoint Training Center Renovation Project
Mark Robinson, Director of the Office of Administrative Services, Department of Corrections, Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, reported on the status of the Northpoint Training Center (NTC) Renovation project. Mr. Robinson said before the prison riot on August 21, 2009, NTC housed 1,256 inmates. The medium security facility can house about 700 inmates, but the Department’s goal is to restore NTC to a medium security facility capable of housing 1,256 inmates.
Mr. Robinson said the riot destroyed several buildings, including the Food Service, Multipurpose, Sanitation, Visitation, Medical, and Canteen buildings. Many of the services conducted in the destroyed buildings are now housed in dormitories that have been cleaned and repaired. The debris from the fire has been removed, and temporary support facilities are in place with interior fencing installed and a temporary kitchen and dining structure. The services which have been restored are Visitation, Medical/Dental, Inmate Programs, and the Canteen.
In response to a question from Senator Boswell, Mr. Robinson said the buildings were covered for $500,000, which is the standard state coverage for fire and tornado damage. There was also a second policy that covers catastrophic damage. The final rebuild settlement amount will not be known until the project is completed.
In regard to the rebuild project, Mr. Robinson said Congleton-Hacker Company has been selected to provide Construction Management Services and GRW Engineers has been selected to provide Architect/Engineer support. The estimated completion date for the new facility is November 2011. [House Bill 1, the 2010-2012 Executive Budget Bill, contains an $18.8 million bond-funded project entitled NTC Rebuild from Fire project.]
In response to a question from Representative Crimm, Mr. Parke said 170 inmates were involved in the riot and 165 of those individuals have been convicted. Another 120 cases are being reviewed by the Attorney General’s Office for criminal charges and 10 of those have been indicted.
In response to a question from Chairman Westwood, Mr. Parke said the current population of NTC is 645. Mr. Robinson added that the current facility can only support 700 inmates due to the size of the cafeteria.
In response to a question from Mr. True, Mr. Parke said that there is no more room for a medical facility. He said they do not accept inmates with extensive medical problems, those inmates are sent to the Kentucky State Reformatory. If an inmate needs more treatment than what is available at NTC, they are sent to the reformatory for treatment.
In response to another question from Mr. True, Mr. Parke said when inmates first come through the correctional system they have a complete medical assessment and, if they need medical or dental treatment, they receive it. Medical staff is available five days a week and for emergencies on weekends.
In response to a question from Senator Boswell, Mr. Robinson said the age of the buildings is being taken into account and discussed with the insurance adjusters and the engineer consultant. He said the current insurance estimate under review is $6 million. That figure is being reviewed by engineers from several state agencies, General Counsel from the Finance Cabinet and the Department of Corrections, and Mr. Hicks from GOPM.
In response to questions from Representative Crimm and Chairman Westwood, Mr. Robinson said NTC was built to be a hospital, not a reformatory. He said the newly rebuilt facility will be a more condensed, operationally efficient facility with modern correctional facility standards. The new buildings will also meet the required building codes and will be retrofitted with sprinkler systems. Mr. Able said it will no longer look like a hospital. The new buildings will look like modern correctional facilities, but the old dormitories will still be there, hence the need for the security cameras. He said the three dorms they are not using will contain sex offender programs, GED programs, vocational programs, and Microsoft computer programs.
Mr. Robinson said upon completion of the project, the buildings will be supplemented with security cameras and the electronic locking system will be enhanced. They do not have any plans in the future to remove the dorms and construct penal-type dorm space.
In response to a question from Representative Crimm, Mr. Parke said the riot was caused by one group of inmates attacking two inmates. Because of the mounting security issues, NTC went into lockdown. The inmates’ response to this directive was to set a fire in one of the dorms. Because the dorm was wooden and was not sprinkled, the fire spread quickly.
Mr. Robinson said there are several projects within the Department’s 6-Year Capital Plan submission associated with NTC, however, none of the projects are duplicated in the NTC Rebuild From Fire project. The NTC Old Hospital Renovation Project is a stand-alone project.
Mr. Robinson said the Department has negotiated an agreement to use proceeds from its “Business Interruption” portion of the insurance policy with National Union to install permanent interior security fencing. The Department is using internal maintenance for some dormitory improvements, such as strengthening exterior security doors, and they have secured federal funds for security surveillance cameras at three facilities for FY10 and will pursue similar funding for FY11.
Schedule of Future Meetings
Senator Westwood said the next two meetings are scheduled for August 27 at Murray State University (to be arranged) and for October 29 at 10:00 a.m. in Room 169 of the Capitol Annex Building.
Adjournment
With there being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 10:50 a.m.