A Powwow with Two Chiefs – Part 2 – Dollars and Sense
The discussion naturally moved to money very quickly. Probably the number one comparison that has been made was one of “$269 per square foot.” This of course, is the simple math of the total estimate of the project, divided by the 410,000 square feet in the planned building.
Chief Petrovich pulled out the cost breakdown pie chart, and showed a much more illustrative listing of figures.
| Breakdown of Costs | In Millions | Percent |
| 1) Building | $58.6 | 53.90% |
| 2) Contingency & Escalation | $11.9 | 11.00% |
| 3) Design & Permitting | $9.2 | 8.50% |
| 4) Land | $8.2 | 7.50% |
| 5) Parking | $7.5 | 6.90% |
| 6) Equip/Furnish | $7.4 | 6.80% |
| 7) Site Prep | $6.0 | 5.50% |
As reported here previously, most of these numbers are estimates, some of them are already well on their way to being reduced. Especially the Land number. I asked for a better breakdown of the Design and Permitting item, because it was one that had generated some confusion and questions on the forums. They were not individually aware of the breakdown, but they put me in touch with the City Engineer responsible for the cost breakdowns, and he was able to provide me with this further breakdown:
| Breakdown of Costs | In Millions | Percent |
| Design | $6.2 million | 6% |
| Permitting | $2.2 million | 2% |
| Preconstruction Services | $948,000 | 1% |
Overall the building cost itself comes in at approximately $74 per square foot, which is within $10 per square foot of many similar PSB projects that have recently completed, in our region of the country.
We discussed the computer and office equipment line item as well. They made it clear that any computer equipment, and office equipment that was usable within the existing space would be brought over to the new building. Much of the equipment line item includes the new equipment for the EOC. This includes a complete duplicate of the existing EOC equipment. They will simultaneously have both facilities online, and then remove the equipment from the old, and move it to the new. This will double the ability of the EOC to respond to simultaneous dispatches. Currently, we can only dispatch a single incident at a time.
There are also a number of modernizations occurring in the evidence processing areas. This department is currently hardest hit in the space squeeze. Rules of Evidence, known as the “Chain of Custody” requires very specific handling of evidence. Failure to do so results in lost cases, and potentially, jail time for evidence technicians.
They are also required to hold certain paper files, especially fingerprints, “essentially forever” which explains the large bulky file cabinets that line the hallways. The new facility is designed from the ground up to include appropriate archival space for this requirement. This of course, was never designed into the former City Hall Building, which is the current home of our Police and Fire departments.
I requested information about the “Site Prep” line item. Chief Van Helden explained that the monies went to clearing, excavation, utility installation, and then building up the land to a compromised 14 foot elevation. They originally planned 16 feet, but found a reasonable mix of cost savings and continued safety by moving it down to 14 fet.
Put another way, and in his own words “We don’t want this building to blow away, or float away.” Speaking to the threats of both high winds, and storm surge. By putting the building at that elevation, they create a safe place for our emergency response workers to wait out the storm. If a storm greater than category 1 hits Cape Coral, they have to evacuate the current building, which most likely puts our emergency response assets outside of Cape Coral in the immediate aftermath of a storm.
