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0~/16/93 THU 12:17 FA~ 50~ 370 6375 1i'UCL 1~j00~ `-- Are the caunty and transst district, functioning in a period af rapid growth and economic prosperity, being complacently optimistic in planning to bui1G space that will be temporarily leased but theoretically will be required over the nezt 25 years i~ Salem and the couptST continue to grow? Committ.ee members bring a varieiy of perspectives to such questions, but a13 of us acknc~wledge chai no one elected us La make public policy. That is a job foc elected officials. Thus_ we have not revisited thase matters. The committee coniinues io be uneasy about the lack of precision in materials it has been given_ Three new egamples: (a) The committee was t~ld in February that "in the neighborhaod of ~450,004" ~ou1d be required annually from county apprapriations to operating departments to pay for Courthouse Square, but thai total became $631,32b in April; (b~ A 1996 letter from financial advisers said, '~Staff has continually emphasized the importance of achieving a rentai rate of $1.20 per sguare ~oot,~~ but county's current budgeting assumption far Courthouse Square is $1.30 a square foot; tcl A disparitv egists in Lhe most recent pro forma in documenting spending for soil remedial.ion. I`he committee in i~s interim report March 13 made two recammendations that we repeat her~: *-- No work should be undertaken without written coniracts in place. ~-- Both the countj~ and the transit district shauld adapt poticies that prohibit board members and staff from doing business with the poliiica! entity for one year after a person leaves. if the tcansit ~oard and the eouniy commissioners de~ide to approve design develapment of Coucthouse Square, the Special Project Oversight Committee (SPOC~ makes the following recommendatians: l. The two boards should establish a new independent citizens committee, perhaps inciuding same members of SPOC, to work with the project team through construction, including ceti~iew af the budgeted and actual pro formas and budgeted and actual cash flow projections upon completion and accupancy. This cammittee should have a clear, formal charge, be established with direct links to the boards, should include persons with technical egpertise in pubiic consLruction and finance, and shoctld conducL a continuing review process aimed at making the pr~jeci credible and its sponsors accauntabie_ 2, rlfter the final design is completed, the county and the district should conduct and dOCU II1~Ili ta) ~ formal value engineer'sng e$ercise, and ib) ~~ formal constructability analysis to identifS• problems that a contractor would encounter in follovving the architect's design. The process shauid be repeated with the winning bidder. 3. After the finai design is completed, the project team and the elected leadership should canduct and document a cost review to determine if ihe desi$n should be refined ta reduce expenses. Depending on Lhe construction climate, items can be added back or bid as alternates. 4. Construction dcscuments should be based on the results of the value engineering egercise, the constructability analysis, and the cost reviewT. 5. The project should be bid in the traditiona} Iow-bid formaL.