NORFOLK DAILY NEWS

Wednesday – January 30, 2008

Agencies interested in sharing office space with the City of Norfolk turned in their requirements Tuesday to Mayor Gordon Adams.

Progress was made in reaching a better understanding of what’s necessary for both sides to move forward, Tom Schommer — who coordinates the ad hoc Shared Facilities Work Group — said in a letter to the mayor.

Agency representatives met Monday with four city council members to talk about the next steps. Schommer met with the mayor Tuesday, and he said the meeting went well. “Our hope is the city will come forward immediately with an invitation to sit down and talk more specifically about what their participation will be so the entire work group can determine if it’s a feasible plan in its entirety,’’ Schommer said.

The response provided square footage requirements for each agency and estimates on staffing for shared offices. The mayor also had asked the agencies to indicate the amount of funds they could provide, but that information wasn’t in their letter.

“Each entity responded in the way they determined was appropriate,’’ Schommer said. “It’s very premature what each entity will contribute in terms of cash. We’re not even sure what the facility is going to consist of or the cost.’’

Mayor Adams commended the work done so far.

“We’re happy to have the response,’’ he said Wednesday morning. “We’ll take their information into consideration as we look at the options for possibly relocating city offices.

“It would have to have quite a bit more analysis. I’m sure everyone understands this. These are very rough estimates, and that’s OK. It’s what we asked for,’’ he said.

The clock is running on the 90-day option, taken Dec. 10 by the city, to buy the vacant First Christian Church building for $650,000 as a possible location for city offices. Last week, the city council heard information about 10 more potential sites as well.

“This will have to be brought to a finance committee meeting along with really all the information we’ve gathered about all the various sites offered to us, and we’ll have to winnow through it and figure what’s the best way to go,’’ Adams said.

“Being a real pragmatist, I have to say the dollars and cents are very important, and we are definitely keeping the taxpayers in mind.’’

Other parts of Schommer’s letter included:

* Once the estimated costs of a shared building are known and submitted, the Madison County commissioners will determine if it’s feasible for the county, according to the letter.

* The Norfolk Area Chamber of Commerce board has identified new office space as a priority, and the partnering groups consisting of the visitor’s bureau, Elkhorn Valley council and Service Corps of Retired Executives have identified funding sources for the project. The Norfolk Area Recruiters have identified funding as well.

* The Norfolk Public Schools is interested in pursuing a shared facility, but the school board didn’t believe it had enough time to plan for the long-term facility and needed more than the 10 days given by the mayor, according to Clark Froehlich, school board member.