Call to Order and Roll Call
The 1st meeting of the Capital Planning Advisory Board was held on Tuesday, July 19, 2016, at 10:00 AM, at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Senator Stan Humphries, Chair, called the meeting to order, and the secretary called the roll.
Present were:
Members: Senator Stan Humphries, Co-Chair; Representative Terry Mills, Co-Chair; Representative Tom Riner; John Chilton, Jane Driskell, Stephen Knipper, William Landrum, and Kaelin Reed.
Guests: Representative Ron Crimm; Representative Larry Clark; Ms. Linda Edwards, Vice President and General Manager, Kentucky International Convention Center; and Mr. Richard Polk, Principal Architect, EOP Architects.
LRC Staff: Shawn Bowen, Julia Wang, and Jennifer Luttrell.
Approval of Minutes (October 20, 2015)
Due to the absence of a quorum, this item was tabled until the September meeting.
Welcome and Comments
Senator Humphries thanked the staff of the Kentucky International Convention Center (KICC) for hosting the meeting. He welcomed two members of the Jefferson County legislative delegation, Representative Ron Crimm and Representative Larry Clark. They, in turn, thanked the board for the invitation to attend the meeting. Senator Humphries then introduced five new members of the board: Mr. Scott Brinkman, Mr. John Chilton, Mr. William Landrum, Mr. Stephen Knipper, and Mr. Kaelin Reed. He also introduced a new staff member, Julia Wang, who replaced Katherine Halloran. Representative Mills also expressed his gratitude to the new board members and to the Jefferson County legislative delegation for attending.
Information Items
Shawn Bowen, Committee Staff Administrator, said there were two information items included in members’ folders: the 2016-2018 Executive and Judicial Branch Budget Update and correspondence from the University of Kentucky (UK) regarding the Facilities Renewal and Modernization Project.
In regard to the UK Facilities Renewal and Modernization Project, Ms. Bowen said this project was discussed in-depth at the July 2015 board meeting. The university was asked to provide a list of the projects and the dollar amounts for each proposed project, however, that information was not provided. The chairs met with university officials, and subsequently agreed to include the project in the 2016-2022 capital plan with the understanding that the proposed projects be reported to the board upon finalization. She said the correspondence included in members’ folders identifies seven primary buildings and eight alternative buildings that may be included in the Facilities Renewal and Modernization project. The dollar amounts for each project have not been finalized, and are not included.
Senator Humphries said he and Representative Mills met with university officials last year regarding this project. The purpose of the meeting was to clarify the board’s expectations in regards to the type and amount of information being submitted in UK’s capital plan. Projects submitted during the planning process with incomplete or scant details may impart a negative message about the capital planning process in general and the amount of detail that is required in project descriptions. The board does not want to set a precedent by not questioning pool projects that are submitted with insufficient or inadequate details.
In response to a question from Ms. Driskell, Ms. Bowen said there has been no additional follow-up from UK regarding the individual project scopes for the Facilities Renewal and Modernization project. She said the board’s staff will request that this information be provided when it is available.
Instructions for the 2018-2024 capital plans
Due to the absence of a quorum, this item was tabled until the September meeting.
Presentation – Kentucky International Convention Center Renovation Project
Ms. Edwards and Mr. Polk gave a brief history of KICC and provided an overview of the renovation project. The convention center, built in 1977, hosts a variety of national and international conventions and trade shows. A 1999 renovation, at a cost of about $71 million, doubled the facility’s size to 200,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space. In 2012, the Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau commissioned Fentress Architects to study the expansion of the convention center. Fentress concluded that the convention center's problems included a confusing layout, poor signs, a small registration area, and outdated facilities, including the elevators.
The renovation and expansion project was authorized in the 2014 budget with $56 million bond funds and $124 million derived from bond proceeds issued by the Louisville and Jefferson County Visitors and Convention Bureau. The project will include creation of an additional 230,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space with the latest technology, and include 10,000 additional square feet of ballroom space for a total of 40,000. The space can be divided into five flexible separate rooms with color-changing fabric walls to accommodate many different themes. The project also includes upgrades to fire, HVAC, and communications equipment, and improvements to exterior finishes including a white canopy over the entire building to reflect heat and save energy. The construction period begins in August 2016 and ends June 2018.
In response to a question from Representative Riner about security enhancements in the newly renovated building, Ms. Edwards said there will be sensored doors throughout the facility and 150 cameras within and around the exterior of the building tied into the Louisville Metro Police Department. There will be a command center with five 60-inch monitors to observe staff and public areas. The command will be staffed by 28 officers and open 24 hours a day, and there will be one employee entrance with ID admittance only. Mr. Polk added that as another measure of security they will have the capability to shut down Third Street in the event of a crisis.
In response to a question from Representative Clark, Mr. Polk said no federal funding was available to defray the cost of adding a green roof, the project design calls for the inclusion of a less expensive white roof.
In response to a question from Representative Clark regarding the displacement of KICC employees during the construction period, Ms. Edwards replied that all full-time staff will remain at KICC or relocate to the Kentucky Exhibition Center.
In response to a question from Mr. Chilton, Ms. Edwards said during the two-year construction period, there were 18 events scheduled. Staff diverted those events to the Kentucky Yum! Center, the Galt House, the Hyatt, the Kentucky Center for the Arts, the Palace Theatre, or the Marriott. She added that three organizations with events planned during the two-year period, delayed the years in which they had planned conventions so they could be held when KICC reopens.
In response to questions from Representative Mills about losing the annual National Future Farmers of America (FFA) Convention, Ms. Edwards stated that the FFA Convention will not return to Louisville in the near future. FFA has signed a long-term lease with the city of Indianapolis, Indiana until 2023, mainly due to the close proximity and type of hotel rooms available in that area. The annual convention typically drew more than 60,000 people and generated about $40 million in economic impact.
In response to a question from Senator Humphries regarding KICC’s ability to meet the project’s aggressive deadline within budget, Mr. Polk stated that Hunt Abel Finch Construction was selected as the construction manager to oversee the two-year project and, unless something unexpected is found during the demolition phase, they are confident that the projected two-year construction schedule will be met within budget.
Other Business
Senator Humphries announced that the next meeting will be held September 20, 2016, at 10 AM, at The 300 Building on Sower Boulevard in Frankfort, Kentucky.
Adjournment
With there being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 11:22 AM.