DEPARTMENT: Transportation and Capital Improvements
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Mike Frisbie, P.E.
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Council District 2
SUBJECT:
Amendment #2 to a Funding Agreement with the Witte Museum
SUMMARY:
An ordinance authorizing a second amendment to the Funding Agreement with the Witte Museum in an amount not to exceed $1,201,615.67 for the rehabilitation and construction of river walls in Brackenridge Park located on the Witte Museum leased property in Council District 2.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The Witte Museum (“The Witte”), located at 3801 Broadway, was opened to the public on October 8, 1926. Since its opening, the Witte Museum has showcased South Texas’s rich Texas heritage and has served an average of 350,000 visitors each year, including 160,000 school-aged children and 60,000 free-of-charge visitors during weekly Free Tuesdays hours. Since celebrating its 87th Anniversary, the Witte has plans to invest $75 million in a campus expansion plan intended to serve the City’s growing community needs.
The Witte has raised $30 million in private funds over the years for the City’s first and largest public museum, specifically for the campus expansion. The Witte expansion plan included three phases of construction.
• Phase 1- Construction of Robert J. and Helen C. Kleberg South Texas Heritage Center, has been completed and was opened to public in Spring 2012.
• Phase 2- Construction of a new museum entrance/receiving area; permanent dinosaur exhibition space; new galleries featuring collection-based interactive museums; and, a changing exhibit and special events center, including several riverside porches. Project will also include the new Witte Research and Collections Center. The 33,000 square-foot facility will allow the museum to place its collection of more than 300,000 artifacts in one place. Construction was completed and was opened to the public in April 2016
• Phase 3- Construction of the Center for Rivers and Aquifers, which will help the Witte exhibit the story of water and the importance of water conservation. This phase also will include construction of new café and river pavilion. Construction was completed and opened to the public in March 2017
• Phase IV- continuation of improvements conducted in Phase III. The Witte is doing site improvements within the area of the San Antonio River that requires rehabilitation and repairs to the river walls. Construction is anticipated to begin in June 2017.
Previous Council Action
On September 19, 2013, City Council authorized the execution of a Funding Agreement totaling $8,000,000.00 to the Witte Museum. On September 18th, 2014, City Council, adopted the FY 2015 Annual Budget which increased funding to the Witte Museum by an additional $8,000,000.00. The total City funding commitment to the Witte has been $16,000,000.00 overall since 2013. The previous funding amounts, types of funds and proposed action item are listed below.
|
Funding |
Types of Funds |
Ordinance |
|
$4,000,000.00 |
General Obligation |
2013-09-19-0642 |
|
$4,000,000.00 |
Hotel Occupancy Tax |
|
|
$4,000,000.00 |
State Event Trust Fund |
2014-09-18-0690 |
|
$4,000,000.00 |
Certificates of Obligation |
|
|
$1,201,615.67 |
Deferred Maintenance: General Fund Certificates of Obligation Tax Notes |
Proposed |
|
TOTAL: $17,201,615.67 |
ISSUE:
This ordinance authorizes a second amendment to the Funding Agreement with the Witte Museum and increases funding up to $1,201,615.67 for the rehabilitation and construction of river walls in Brackenridge Park located on the Witte Museum leased property in Council District 2.
This amendment to the current funding agreement with the Witte Museum will add $1,201,615.67 for a total Agreement of $17, 201,615.67. The amendment funds will be used by the Witte Museum for a project that provides for repairs, restoration and stabilization of approximately 500 feet of failed WPA era stone walls along the San Antonio River and the Witte Museum acequia channel in Brackenridge Park on Witte Museum leased property. Design of the project is complete and construction is anticipated to begin in June 2017 and estimated to be completed in September 2017.
The Work Progress Administration (WPA) walls along the San Antonio River within Brackenridge Park are in need of repair. The walls are named for a federal program that originally built the walls. Improvements to parts of the river walls have been done throughout several sections of the Park over the years. As part of a Deferred Maintenance Program project, the improvements will be a continuation of rehabilitation and repairs of the river wall and support the site improvements the Witte is undertaking in this same area. The improvements will make this area of the river more stable
Coordination with the Parks and Recreation Department will be made to ensure accommodations are made to keep the facility accessible to patrons and residents during construction.
ALTERNATIVES:
City Council can elect not to approve the Funding Agreement Amendment; however doing so would hinder the rehabilitation and repairs to several sections of the river in need of repairs.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This is a one-time capital improvement expenditure in the amount not to exceed $1,201,615.67 payable to the Witte Museum for improvements providing rehabilitation and construction of river walls in Brackenridge Park located on the Witte Museum leased property funded from the City’s Deferred Maintenance Fund.
Funds will be placed in the existing capital project for the Witte Museum improvements. Of the $1,201,615.67, $21,615.67 will be retained by the City for project oversight. The funding amounts are captured below:
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends authorizing a second amendment to the Funding Agreement with the Witte Museum to provide an additional $1,201,615.67 for river wall improvements.