Title
Armory Update
Recommended Action
Information only. No action requested.
Report
Issue:
Presentation on Armory project to date.
Staff Contact:
Valerie Roberts, Armory Building Manager, Parks Arts & Recreation, (360)753-8468
Presenter(s):
Valerie Roberts, Armory Building Manager
Background and Analysis:
The City of Olympia is working to transform the historic Armory building into a new Creative Campus. The working vision of the Armory: Creative Campus is to support the arts as integral to Olympia’s way of life; encourage community growth through creativity and innovation; use the arts to connect people, ideas, and place, while operating from an equity framework.
Armory staff is moving forward on starting Phase 1 Design and Construction of the building and is working with Department of Enterprise Services Energy Saving Program (DES) to accomplish this work. Through working with DES, the Armory staff has identified an Energy Saving Company, Ameresco, who will provide expertise in energy upgrades that will align with the City’s climate goals, as well as ensure future energy savings and provide a cost guarantee. This Phase 1 will move forward with four foundational priorities:
Designing with Community:
The programming of the Armory Creative Campus will be achieved primarily through leases with community Arts Organizations. Staff and consultant 110% are creating a business plan and identifying arts and culture based non-profits to be Anchor Partners. This work will create a core partner group to activate the campus and bring the vision to life, as well as create a business plan that will guide future building operations. Key partners will be actively involved in the Phase 1 design process as well as integrated opportunities to seek public input on various design phases. Other key groups involved will be City of Olympia staff across departments, Eastside Neighborhood Association, and other representative groups.
Accessibility:
A facility that is safe, accessible, and engaging to all is a priority for building improvements. An elevator will allow accessibility to all three levels of the Armory. The exterior ramps at the entry on Eastside will be rebuilt to meet current accessibility standards, and ramps will be installed on interior grade changes such as the loading dock on the lowest level. Accessible gender-neutral toilet facilities will be available. While the focus for this phase is ADA access, the building design and implementation will consider other forms of access as we approach space solutions.
Building Improvements and Architectural Plans:
The conceptual plans show recommended improvements to the Armory and garage buildings that bring the buildings up to current code requirements for safety and accessibility and support the desired programming. The intent of the recommendations is to spend resources effectively, to retain the historic character of the Armory, and to create safe, accessible buildings that meet current code requirements. Concept-level engineering studies have identified areas where upgrades will likely be needed, and subsequent studies will further define specific solutions. It will be essential to work with partners on assessing any specific improvements needed to make the building usable for their specific professional and creative activities.
Historic Preservation
The Armory Creative Campus project was awarded a $1 million dollar Heritage Capital Projects Grant that specifically will focus on securing the building envelope and supporting ADA code compliance in order to accomplish critical work necessary in order to preserve the historic building and provide access to future users.
Climate Analysis:
Although this project will increase the amount of emissions coming out of the Armory with the intention to re-open it as an active Creative Campus, the overall energy efficiency of the building will be greatly increased through pursuing Phase 1 construction through the DES Energy Savings Program. The systems currently in place, if used to run a Creative Campus, would create much greater carbon emissions than any of the coming upgrades that the Energy Savings Company will install. Additionally, this project will consider and ask about the possibility of increasing capacity in the building to support electric vehicles, the movement away from gas to electric, and finally to assess the possibility of solar infrastructure.
Equity Analysis:
A core focus of the concept plan for the Armory was to connect people and ideas within an equity framework. For the current and coming phases (Design and Construction, Partner Selection) staff have been building on those relationships, reaching out actively to groups to meet and talk about their current priorities and collaborate on where there is alignment with the Armory Creative Campus. The upcoming Partner selection process also offers additional opportunity for inclusion, from open workshops to help applicants navigate the RFQ process, to inviting broad participation on the selection committee, particularly from underserved community groups.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
Staff regularly meet with the Eastside Neighborhood Association (ENA) to keep them involved in the project, especially as their sub-area plan calls for preservation of the Armory building. The ENA was also instrumental in helping to place the building on the local Heritage Register. Community input in general was an essential part of building the Concept Plan, which is a foundational document in current and future planning of the Armory Creative Campus.
Options:
1. Receive the update.
2. Do not receive the update.
3. Receive the update at another time.
Financial Impact:
Initial Phase 1 Design has been funded through the CFP and will lead to a better understanding of total costs. A full funding package will be brought to Council at a future date.
Attachments:
Armory Project Page