City Of Daytona Approves Hall & Ogle Architects For Design Of First Step Shelter

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Daytona Beach, FL - At its Wednesday night meeting, the Daytona Beach City Commission unanimously approved a $181,743 contract with architectural firm Hall & Ogle to design the new First Step Shelter (FSS), the 24-hour, full-service homeless shelter that was approved for the area off of International Speedway, west of I-95. There were two plans that the City was considering for the design of the shelter. One plan was from Hall & Ogle Architects, and the other was from architect William Chapin. The design plan from Hall & Ogle will use more traditional roofing that would last approximately 50-75 years. The Hall & Ogle design is expected to cost between $1.98 million and $2.7 million for the first phase of construction and additional $741,510 for the second phase. Construction is expected to take nine months, as opposed to the more temporary Chapin plan, which would have taken three to six months to construct. Commissioner Rob Gilliland said he feels that the more permanent Hall & Ogle design was the way to go, even though it would take longer to build. "If we're going to do this, it's worth doing right, and I believe that a permanent structure is something that is appropriate for the population that we're trying to serve," says Gilliland. "I'm not looking for a solution that's gonna get us through the next year. I'm looking for a solution that's gonna get us through the next many decades." A third-party consultant, Bentley Architects & Engineers, recommended that the City go with the Hall & Ogle plan because of its longevity, durability, and its ability to be converted into a hurricane shelter. Chapin's design would have used tensile fabric roofing that lasts an estimated 10-20 years and would require more maintenance. The plan would have been less expensive than the Hall & Ogle plan overall, but it would not  have been as durable, according to City reports. The ability for the Hall & Ogle plan to be used as a hurricane shelter was a major benefit to some members of the Commission. "Seeing what happens in a storm and the challenges of addressing the homeless population during the storm, I did become convinced that (the shelter) needed to be close to hurricane ready, and if it wasn't hurricane ready on day one, then it would be something that we could, with limited resources, make hurricane ready in the future," said Mayor Derrick Henry. Another item the City approved at its meeting was a measure that would let the City spend up to $40,000 for additional contract services related to Hurricane Matthew cleanup. The City awarded a continuing services contract to Thompson Consulting Services (TCS) in July of this year for debris monitoring and other services related to Hurricane Matthew. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the State reimburse the City for a portion of these costs. You can find earlier reporting on these City agenda items here. Copyright Southern Stone Communications 2017.