County officials offer more to explain $578,000 cost of ‘minor’ remodel for hiring center

Stanislaus County leaders approved a $578,500 project Tuesday to remodel offices for human resources and a revamped program for hiring the next generation of county employees.

About 1,300 county employees are in the Baby Boomer generation and are expected to retire in the next five to seven years.

County employees start considering retirement when they reach milestones of 50, 55 or 60, making them eligible for retirement with benefits. But county government is gearing up for a hiring spree to replenish the workforce.

The Board of Supervisors gave approval to remodel 5,700 square feet of offices for a recruitment and employee development center on the first floor of Tenth Street Place near the 11th Street entrance. County human resources will move its 18-member staff from the sixth floor to the new location on the first floor.

Opportunity Stanislaus vacated the office space when it moved to another downtown Modesto location in November.

County staff offered more explanation for the cost of what was termed a “minor remodeling.” New carpeting is a major expense and the county needs to purchase up to $175,000 in furniture and equipment for the offices, said Patty Hill Thomas, the county’s chief operating officer.

Hill Thomas said staff was concerned about construction bids coming in over budget because of soaring costs for construction nationwide, which were made worse by rebuilding after Hurricane Harvey. On top of the $265,000 base construction cost, staff estimated $26,500 for construction contingencies and $45,000 for construction alternatives. Project administration is estimated at $67,000.

The plans include a new entrance off the Tenth Street Place lobby, a room for viewing job postings on computers, administrative offices and a training room for up to 45 employees.

The county also is looking to rebrand its recruitment program to attract talent.

Tamara Thomas, the county’s human resources director, said the division handled recruitments to fill 240 positions last year. The county anticipates needing to hire at a rapid pace to fill positions in the next five to seven years.

The county has more than 4,473 allocated positions.

Another reason for moving the human resources division is the lack of desk space for chief executive office staff on the sixth floor of Tenth Street Place. The chief executive office shares the sixth floor with city of Modesto administration and county staff additions for the Focus on Prevention initiative added to the crowding.

This story was originally published January 23, 2018 at 4:42 PM with the headline "County officials offer more to explain $578,000 cost of ‘minor’ remodel for hiring center."