Background and the Needs Analysis

Background

VPR began contemplating facility and space needs back in 2005. At that time the staff and Board of Directors underwent a comprehensive study and after two years of worked arrived at a conceptual plan to expand and renovate the existing building.  The timing however coincided and directly competed with the needs to invest in programming and broadcast infrastructure related to the bold “Two Services” strategy employed at the time.  The decision was made to postpone any major work and to continue to address needs in an interim fashion.

 

In 2012 VPR returned to the issue of facility and space needs, this time with a clearer understanding of the opportunity cost the current facility is having on our staff and content creation. Again a comprehensive study was conducted to ensure every avenue – on-site, off-site, and/or multi-sites – were researched and evaluated for their pros and cons. 

As in 2007, the most recent study concluded with the finding that the most cost effective and efficient means to meet the current and future needs of VPR would be to expand and renovate the existing main studios in Fort Ethan Allen. 

Needs/Problems

VPR purchased and renovated its current main studio in 1992. At the time the vision was to build a state of the art broadcast facility with high quality recording and performance space. In addition, the building would provide adequate professional work space for an employee base up to 27, nearly double the number of staff the station employed at the time.

However, by 2001 the employee count was up to 32 and VPR had begun renovating storage space in the attic to serve as the beginnings of a newsroom.

By the time 2007 came and the decision to postpone any major building project was made in favor of programming and broadcast infrastructure investments, the employee count was on the cusp of reaching 48. To accommodate the staff growth on an interim basis the Technology Wing was added (approx. 1,000 sq ft), remote studios were utilized to a greater extent, telecommuting for select employees began, and a number of work areas were split and/or shared.

Through all these efforts, today VPR has work spaces to accommodate 51 employees at the main studios. Unfortunately, the focus has been just this – add more work spaces. The increase of employees has put more strain on the parking and sanitary systems. In addition, the HVAC and electrical consumption are impacted by volume of employees and related support technology.

Below is a “key deficiency” listing of the current facility:

• Sub-optimal work spaces
• Poor adjacencies and proximities
• Inadequate air circulation and heating/cooling 
• Undersized on-site soil based wastewater system
• Limited handicap accessibility
• No fire protection/suppression systems
• Insufficient restroom facilities