15 Staff Report.Community Center Interim Solution
PREPARED BY: Katy Nomura
Assistant Town Manager
Reviewed by: Town Manager, Assistant Town Manager, Town Attorney, and Finance Director
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● (408) 354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: 11/21/2023 ITEM NO: 15
DATE: November 9, 2023
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Laurel Prevetti, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Receive an Update on the Interim Community Center and Provide Direction
RECOMMENDATION:
Receive an update on the Interim Community Center and provide direction.
BACKGROUND:
On August 15, 2023, the Town Council allocated $866,281 to a Community Center Development
Fund to design and construct near-term improvements to the Adult Recreation Center to
achieve two major purposes. One purpose is to facilitate the use of space for a variety of non-
profit agencies to provide services to the community. The second purpose is to reconfigure the
existing space to provide better services to adults by making it more open and inviting to the
community.
The near-term improvements would be informed by convening a group of interested residents
and community partners focused on older adult services and general community services. This
group would be engaged in making recommendations about improvements to the existing
facility. The group would include representatives of the Community Health and Senior Services
Commission (CHSSC), Los Gatos Friends of Older Adults that Thrive, Los Gatos-Saratoga (LGS)
Recreation, Successful Aging Solutions & Community Consulting (SASSC), non-profits who
provide services, faith leaders, potentially representation from Supervisor Joe Simitian’s Office,
and others. The Town Council motion requested that the recommendation(s) from staff and
this group would be considered by the Town Council during the development of the 2024
Capital Budget.
PAGE 2 OF 6 SUBJECT: Community Center Interim Solution DATE: November 9, 2023
BACKGROUND (continued):
Over the years, the Town has completed several improvements at the Adult Recreation Center.
The following table includes a list of completed projects since 2020 as well as projects in the
pipeline and anticipated needs.
Adult Recreation Center- Improvements and Repairs Since 2020
Project Contractor Cost Completed
1 Boiler replacement Air Systems Inc. $17,000 2020
2 Chiller replacement Foothill Heat and AC $55,600 2020
3 Water heater replacement OC McDonald $4,934 2021
4
ADA restroom architect
plans & specifications The KPA Group $35,000 2021
5 Move out/in for flooring Ind Facility Resource $11,600 2022
6 Flooring - entire building Shaw Flooring Inc. $140 ,000 2022
7
Door trimming for flooring
(12) PPW-Facilities $1,570.90 2022
8
HVAC units (18) /interior
paint Foothill Heat and AC $195,000 2023
9
ADA parking lot &
entrance – plans &
specifications and survey
The KPA Group $30,000 2023
10 ADA restroom Tucker Const. Inc. $276,000 Est. 6/30/24
11
FY 23-24 Community
Grant: new kitchen
appliances
N/A $12,000 2024
TOTAL $766,705
Anticipated and Unfunded
Needs Contractor Estimated Cost Recommended
12
ADA compliant parking lot
& entrance $400,000 ASAP
13
Window replacements -
wall patch/paint $150,000 2024/25
14
Roof tune-up (adds 5 years
of life to roof) Facilities/Cal Roofing $5,000 2025
15 Exterior paint $40,000 2027
16 Roof replacement $100,000 2030
TOTAL $707,000
PAGE 3 OF 6 SUBJECT: Community Center Interim Solution DATE: November 9, 2023
DISCUSSION:
A full remodel of the Adult Recreation Center to transform it into a Community Center would
be a multi-million-dollar project that would need to be considered as part of the longer-term
Capital Improvement Program. Any large investments to remodel the facility should be
reserved for the full remodel to ensure that the transformation of the facility is planned
holistically and that financial resources are used in the most efficient manner possible.
With that in mind, this discussion focuses on near-term improvements that can be
implemented in the interim without substantial remodeling. It is staff’s understanding that the
intention of these near-term improvements is to reposition the Adult Recreation Center as a
Community Center and to provide space for community partners to engage the public.
The following sections outline opportunities and considerations to achieve this goal. The Town
is still in the very early stages of this process and will continue to seek input from the Town
Council, the CHSSC, residents, and community partners. As directed by the Town Council in
August, staff is planning to host a convening in the form of a CHSSC meeting dedicated to an
interim Community Center discussion in which residents, community partners, faith leaders,
non-profits, and the public will all be invited to participate. Council’s direction on the items in
this report is useful to preparing for the convening.
Physical Space and Improvements
Since the Adult Recreation Center is leased to LGS Recreation, staff discussed with LGS
Recreation what physical space might be available for community partners to use. While much
of the facility is fully programmed, LGS Recreation saw the value in bringing in community
partners and was able to offer two desk spaces near the front entrance (roughly 45 square feet)
as well as a small meeting room (roughly 130 square feet) without impacting existing services.
The total size of this available space is approximately 175 square feet. Depending on the uses,
other spaces could be considered based on availability; however, there are operational
considerations as discussed later in this report.
Staff recognizes that there may be a desire to rename the facility to reposition the Adult
Recreation Center as the Los Gatos Community Center. If a renaming is pursued in the interim,
a new sign for the building would need to be made and installed with an estimated cost of
$5,000 to $10,000 for metal cut out letters or $20,000 to $30,000 for an electrical illuminated
sign.
While improvements have been made to the lobby over the years, including new lighting and
paint, the addition of wayfinding signage and modifications to prevent unauthorized access
upstairs could be beneficial in the near-term. These improvements are estimated to cost
$30,000 to $40,000.
PAGE 4 OF 6 SUBJECT: Community Center Interim Solution DATE: November 9, 2023
DISCUSSION (continued):
Other minor near-term improvements may surface as input is received and as community
partners are identified.
Staff will return to the Town Council with recommended near-term improvements. The Council
motion directed staff to bring the recommendations for consideration during the Capital
Budget process. While the Proposed FY 2024/25 Capital Improvement Budget would include
the Interim Community Center project and its funding, there are additional steps that would
need to be taken prior to construction.
For this reason, after the convening, staff would prepare the community and staff’s
recommended near-term improvements for Council consideration in late winter/early spring
2024. Town Council would be asked to prioritize the recommended near-term improvements
as it is likely that there will be more ideas than the funding would support. Then, staff would
hire an architect to cost the items. This expenditure would be deducted from the allotted
funding for the project. With cost estimates, Council would then be asked to select the
preferred near-term improvements for design and bidding.
Operational Considerations
Cost of the Space and Associated Services
Due to the existing lease with LGS Recreation, the costs of the space used by the community
partners would need to be borne by either the Town or the community partners. For example,
the Town could enter into a potential lease amendment to reduce LGS Recreation’s rent for the
Adult Recreation Center as they will be leasing less space for their services. The Town could
then subsidize the square footage used by the community partners by not charging rent or
charging a reduced rent.
Alternatively, the Town could maintain the existing lease with LGS Recreation and enter into a
separate service agreement where the Town would pay LGS Recreation for providing
coordination and hosting of community partners, including room scheduling, client
coordination, office support, janitorial services, etc.
A third approach could be a hybrid of the two in which the lease with LGS Recreation remains
unchanged and LGS Recreation enters into agreements with the community partners who
would pay a fee to use the space as well as their fair share of the costs for use of LGS
Recreation equipment (e.g., copiers), security, storage, internet, janitorial services, and other
administrative support.
PAGE 5 OF 6 SUBJECT: Community Center Interim Solution DATE: November 9, 2023
DISCUSSION (continued):
It would be beneficial for the Town Council to provide direction as to whether it is expected
that community partners should contribute to these costs or if space and other services should
be provided to them for free.
Selection of Community Partners
The selection of community partners needs to be part of a competitive Request for Proposals
(RFP) process. The RFP would include selection criteria to evaluate community partner
proposals. Any suggestions the Town Council has for selection criteria are welcome at this
time. Input will also be solicited from the community attendees at the forthcoming CHSSC
convening regarding the Community Center near-term improvements. The Council will review
the draft RFP and selection criteria prior to it being issued. The final selection of community
partners will also be brought to the Town Council for consideration.
After community partners are selected, an agreement with the Town and/or LGS Recreation
would likely be needed to address the cost, service, and operational considerations mentioned
earlier in the previous section.
CONCLUSION:
Any interim improvements to transition the Adult Recreation Center to a community center
should be relatively minor without substantial remodeling. A competitive RFP process will be
conducted to select community partners for the community center. Physical improvements
and community partner selection will be informed by a CHSSC meeting dedicated to an interim
Community Center discussion in which residents, community partners, faith leaders, non-
profits, and the public will all be invited to participate. Recommendations on physical
improvements as well as community partner selection will be brought to the Town Council for
future consideration.
The Town Council is welcome to provide additional direction on the interim use of the Adult
Recreation Center/Community Center based on the information contained in this report.
COORDINATION:
The preparation of this report was coordinated with the Town Attorney, the Parks and Public
Works Department, and LGS Recreation.
PAGE 6 OF 6 SUBJECT: Community Center Interim Solution DATE: November 9, 2023
FISCAL IMPACT:
The $866,281 allocated to the Community Center Development Fund can be used for near-term
improvements to the Adult Recreation Center/Community Center. Additional funding may be
required to support the operational and administrative needs of coordinating the community
partners and providing the additional services.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
Attachment 1 contains public comment received on this topic.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT:
This is not a project defined under CEQA, and no further action is required.
ATTACHMENT:
1. Public Comment