CCBAC RECOMMENDED STANDARDS FOR
MECKLENBURGCOUNTYOPEN SPACES
Open spaces are a necessary part of the MecklenburgCounty environment. This being true the CCBAC recommends up to 10% of all land in the County be held in some manner which precludes commercial or residential development or government facilities beyond those of the outdoor facilities of parks.
Currently land is held open in various forms. MecklenburgCounty owns approximately 5.5% of all county land as open space when one adds that held by CMS and the Park and Recreation Department. With the expenditure of the remainder of the land bond funds this amount will be approximately 6%. Other land is held by the municipalities and there is land held as wetlands and flood plains as well as by private entities such as golf courses and farms and by Homeowners’ Associations, YM and YWCAs, non-profit athletic associations, and local colleges/universities.
The CCBAC, in recommending a goal of 10%, believes this number should be arrived at by considering all land held as open space. We realize private land will be sold and developed but current land use policies are requiring set-asides to maintain open spaces. As we do not know the final results of these policies, we believe MecklenburgCounty should remain vigilant in observing the results of these policies but does not need to purchase more unless future development appears likely to encroach too closely upon this 10% amount.
Board Action:
Requested definition of PublicLand either from Catawba Land Conservancy or Trust for PublicLand.
CCBAC RECOMMENDED STANDARDS FOR
MECKLENBURG COUNTY LAND ACQUISITION
Concurrently with the two-year Capital Improvement Program review, the County should assess land requests submitted by each department and agency in their ten-year CIP and determine whether land should be acquired to address these identified needs.
Board Action:
Continuous review approved.
CCBAC RECOMMENDED STANDARDS FOR
MECKLENBURGCOUNTYGOVERNMENT FACILITIES
Applying some kind of standard to facilities represented in this category is challenging. These facilities are diverse in use and represent a wide variety of building types.
However, there are correlations, in many cases, to commercial buildings. Looking at the cost of a facility in this group of CIP requests and comparing it to a reasonably similar commercial building does not present a quick and easy means of evaluating the CIP request but it is a tool that can be used effectively.
The CCBAC recommends that a process of continuous review by knowledgeable professionals be adopted for these facilities.
Board Action:
Approved.
A general directive from the Board presented in the Overview is to provide costs of replacing major components of buildings such as roofs, HVAC systems, plumbing and electrical systems separately.
CCBAC RECOMMENDED STANDARDS FOR
PUBLIC LIBRARY OF CHARLOTTE AND MECKLENBURGCOUNTY
Currently the Library System has .7 square feet of space per capita of MecklenburgCounty. The CCBAC recommends maintaining this ratio. We realize as population growth occurs the Library System will fall behind; then as they build, will gain more space so the ratio will be constantly fluctuating around .7 square feet and will seldom be exactly that. Further, the Mecklenburg County Library System uses a per capita per square foot method to determine space needs. As we already have an award winning library system, we feel there is no reason to increase the ratio and every reason to maintain it.
Board Action:
Direct Manager and staff to bring back a CIP which includes the costs for .7 square feet of space per capita, .74 square feet of space per capita and .8 square feet of space per capita.
A general directive from the Board presented in the Overview is to provide costs of replacing major components of buildings such as roofs, HVAC systems, plumbing and electrical systems separately.
CCBAC RECOMMENDED STANDARDS FOR
MECKLENBURG COUNTY PARK & RECREATION DEPARTMENT FACILITIES
(NOT INCLUDING ACREAGE FOR OPEN SPACE AND PARKS)
FALL 2003
The Citizen’s Capital Budget Advisory Committee supports the Park and Recreation Department’s population-based standards for recreation facilities. The standards and current “status” of facilities are outlined in the attached appendix.
When determining the “status” of park facility needs, the MecklenburgCountyPark and Recreation Department only takes into account facilities that are owned and/or operated by the Park and Recreation Department. Other community recreational resources are not recognized or considered in the overall facilities count. The CCBAC does not believe the current method of determining the “status” of park facilities represents a fair and accurate measure of recreational resources that are available to the citizens of MecklenburgCounty.
The CCBAC recommends that the Park and Recreation Department complete a comprehensive “Park Facility Inventory”, including recreation facilities provided by other community resources, as an accurate method of determining how many park and recreation facilities are in MecklenburgCounty. Examples of what should be included in the inventory are recreation facilities associated with: public schools, the County’s six municipalities, local universities and colleges, YMCA’s, YWCA’s, youth athletic associations, other non-profit athletic associations, public and semi-private golf courses, church athletic fields, Homeowner Association facilities, apartment complexes, etc.
The “Park Facility Inventory”, used in conjunction with the population-based facility standards, will provide the CCBAC and CountyCommissioners with a basis and justification for determining future capital expenditures for recreation facilities.
Appendix:
Facility Type / Standard(per population) / # Needed for
695,000 People / Existing / Status
Baseball Fields / 1 per 3,750 / 185 / 42 / -143
Basketball
Courts / 1 per 5,000 / 139 / 101 / -38
Football Fields / 1 per 13,750 / 51 / 2 / -49
Golf Course
(9 hole) / 1 per 25,000 / 28 / 1 / -27
Golf Course
(18 hole) / 1 per 50,000 / 14 / 4 / -10
Quarter Mile
Track / 1 per 20,000 / 35 / 1 / -34
Recreation
Centers / 1 per 15,000 / 46 / 23 / -23
Soccer Fields / 1 per 5,000 / 139 / 48 / -91
Softball Fields / 1 per 3,750 / 185 / 70 / -115
Swimming Pools / 1 per 20,000 / 35 / 7 / -28
Tennis Courts / 1 per 3,000 / 231 / 136 / -95
Trails / 1 mile
per 4,000 / 174 / 61 / -113
Volleyball Courts / 1 per 5,000 / 139 / 36 / -103
Greenways / Greenway
Master Plan / 185 miles / 22 miles / -163 miles
Board Action or directive and questions:
Count all assets reasonably accessible to the public. Is the standard recommended based on public and private facilities? Need further evaluation of standards regarding applicability to the County. Additional staff work required.
A general directive from the Board presented in the Overview is to provide costs of replacing major components of buildings such as roofs, HVAC systems, plumbing and electrical systems separately.
CCBAC RECOMMENDED STANDARDS FOR
CHARLOTTE-MECKLENBURG SCHOOLS
Setting standards for the BOCC to follow for funding CMS is more of when money should be allocated since state law sets standards for primary and secondary public education buildings. Student count is set at 800 for elementary schools, 1200 for middle schools and 2000 for high schools. Class size is also recommended but each school district may vary from the state standards if they show reasonable cause.
Beyond this the CCBAC has determined the following parameters for the Board of County Commissioners to use to determine when CMS should receive capital money.
- Growth. CMS’s student population has grown substantially the past few years and will continue to grow in the future. The students must be housed and so the BOCC should plan on building enough new seats to house the new students. We recommend these seats be in buildings and not mobile units.
- Renovations. Currently the buildings CMS is constructing should last 75 years before needing major renovations. This is not true of those built during the 70’s, which have a life span closer to 50 years. Additionally, many schools have had major renovations done during the past decade and this work continues. Taking all this into consideration we believe enough capital money should be made available each year to renovate 1/60 of the seats of the entire school system.
- Mobile classrooms. CMS currently has 586 mobile classrooms. Many of these are being used as permanent additions at various schools. We believe it is necessary to have the flexibility mobile classrooms provide, but there are too many now. The CCBAC recommends replacing 80% of these classrooms with permanent structures over a 20-year time period.
- Maintenance. CMS continually requests money for reroofing, paving, HVAC work and other items which should be funded operationally. We strongly encourage the BOCC to find a way to fully fund the building maintenance programs of CMS without resorting to borrowing money.
CCBAC RECOMMENDED STANDARDS FOR
MECKLENBURG COUNTYJAILS:
ADULT AND JUVENILE DETENTION FACILITIES
FALL 2003
Adult Detention Facilities:
The Citizens’ Capital Budget Advisory Committee recommends that standards for adult detention facilities in MecklenburgCounty mirror the sheriff’s expected detention population estimates. Hence, a bed-per-inmate standard is recommended. Sufficient beds should be available for the number of adult inmates in MecklenburgCounty taking into consideration separation requirements that decrease available bed usage to 80% - 85%.
At present, adult inmate population is rising by approximately 100 to 120 inmates per year. Construction for facility expansion such as the 634-beds for Jail North is estimated to last three years. Construction for additional beds should begin before such space is needed. For example, the requested 634-bed Jail North expansion will provide for five to six years of inmate population growth, but will not be available during the three years of construction. Future developments should plan for expected inmate population so sufficient beds are available at all times for the then-present inmate population without the need for using mobile trailers to house inmates.
This Committee does not feel that a standard for MecklenburgCounty should depend upon any particular weight given to the availability of housing federal inmates or state inmates from other jurisdictions.
Juvenile Detention Facilities:
This Committee feels that a standard cannot be recommended for juvenile detention facilities because juvenile detention is technically a state function and is not required of the counties. Rather, this Committee feels that the decision to build a juvenile detention facility to replace the GatlingJuvenileDetentionCenter is first a social and political question.
However, in determining whether a new facility should be constructed, this Committee recommends that at least the following issues be considered:
- capital expenditures and operational costs for existing situation versus a proposed new facility of approximately 100 beds
- juvenile inmate transportation requirements for housing in other jurisdictions and/or hearings in MecklenburgCounty
- Department of Social Services responsibilities for existing situation versus a proposed new facility
- visitation possibilities for existing situation versus a proposed new facility
- social responsibility and/or desire of local community to care for our youth
Comments:
Facility specific structural and operational requirements have been provided by North Carolina law and the American Correctional Association. Thus, the standards which are recommended by this Committee are not meant to supercede or adjust current practices to meet and/or exceed these legal requirements and recommended standards.
CCBAC RECOMMENDED STANDARDS FOR
CENTRALPIEDMONTCOMMUNITY COLLEGE
CentralPiedmontCommunity College (CPCC) has 70 assignable square feet (ASF) per full-time equivalent (FTE) student. As a matter of comparison, the average for North Carolina community colleges in 2002 was 90 ASF. The historical pattern of CPCC shows the statistical relationship of 1.5% of the MecklenburgCounty population is equivalent to the FTE enrollment of CPCC. The CCBAC expects this relationship to continue and so recommends capital support to maintain a minimum of 70 ASF per 1.5% of MecklenburgCounty population.
The CCBAC believes this standard should not preclude new programs which could materially alter the relationship between population and FTE students.
Finally, in this recommendation, we do not address the issue of renovations, which for CPCC, is critical. Some of their buildings are already beyond their economic life and this issue must be addressed outside of maintaining the minimum space standards recommended.
Board Action:
Direct Manager and staff to bring back a CIP which includes the costs for 70 ASF per 1.5% of MecklenburgCounty population, 80 ASF per 1.5% of MecklenburgCounty population and 90 ASF per 1.5% of MecklenburgCounty population.
A general directive from the Board presented in the Overview is to provide costs of replacing major components of buildings such as roofs, HVAC systems, plumbing and electrical systems separately.
MecklenburgCounty
Population Estimates*
2003 776,743
2004 797,208
2005817,673
2006 838,138
2007 858,603
2008 879,068
2009 899,533
2010 920,000
*Provided by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission.