Needs Assessment
In 2009, a Central Campus Needs Assessment was initiated by Travis County to understand what space would be required to house the staff and services needed to adequately serve residents from 2009, to 2035. The effort, completed in 2010, indicated a significant space deficiency then, and that space shortage would only be exacerbated by the projected County growth in upcoming years. Led by Austin firm Broaddus & Associates, the Needs Assessment findings included:
- Quality of work environment in many departments and offices did not enable optimal staff performance
- Lack of available and appropriately sized meeting spaces
- Inefficient departmental layouts
- Lack of natural lighting
- Insufficient security
- Inadequate storage capacity
- 50% more space needed to accommodate existing services
- 130% more space would be needed over the next twenty-five years in order to accommodate projected staff growth
A Visioning Session with County leadership, held in June 2009, yielded a set of Guiding Principles that provided a basis for project development. A series of intensive site visits and stakeholder interviews followed the introductory session and provided baseline information for both functional assessments and staffing projections.
Analyses of population growth, historical staffing growth, and historical caseload growth were completed. Throughout the Needs Assessment, regular meetings with the County Project Management team, the Steering Committee, various Sub-Committees and the Commissioners Court provided feedback and direction.
Needs Assessment Report included the following:
- Functional and Operational Assessment
- Strategic Growth Plan
- Space Assessment
- Space Standards
- Functional and Operational Assessment for Security Operations
Central Campus Master Plan
At the completion of the Needs Assessment, it was clear that the County would need to take deliberate steps to both increase and improve its Central Campus facilities over the next several years to accommodate County services.
The Central Campus Master Plan established a strategic plan for the facilities development required to accommodate the civil and criminal justice system and several general government functions through and beyond the 2035 planning horizon.
- A new Civil & Family Courts Complex
- Expansion of the Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center
- Restoration, rehabilitation and re-occupancy of Heman Marion Sweatt Historic Courthouse
- A new Central Booking & 72-hour Housing Facility
- Office Building(s) for both Court & General Government Functions