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As 2009 draws to a close and we begin to focus on goals for the New Year, one of the more exciting changes for several city employees is the pending move into a new facility.
The contractor promises to turn over the keys to the old hospital on March 1st. We plan to relocate city hall, the police department and the council chambers / municipal court into the facility shortly thereafter.
Tenants are being sought to lease uncommitted space in the building. The city’s portion of the building has over 3,000 square feet of office space in excess of what the city needs for its current operations. The second floor of the east section of the building and an individual office suite on the first floor are available for lease from the city. Other government or not-for-profit organizations are the preferred tenants for the space.
The vision for the old hospital building is to create a single location for a variety of community services. One example is that city residents will be able to pay for a VIN inspection at City Hall and walk down the corridor for the service rather than getting back into their car to drive to the police station as they do now. We are seeking tenants for the extra space that fit into this concept of “one-stop shopping” for government or community services. We will, however, consider any potential tenants.
Building occupants will include a number of county-funded health and human services organizations in addition to certain city offices.
City Hall will occupy the downstairs section of the original hospital, constructed in 1900. Visitors to City Hall will enter the building from the parking lot just to the east of the building or from the old main entrance on First Street. A drop box for utility bill payments will be located at the east entrance.
The portion of the building that will be used for City Hall is designated as a local landmark. This status enabled the city to secure a State Historic Funds grant to renovate the exterior of the original building. This $190,000 grant will pay nearly three-quarters of the costs for the renovation project, which will be started in early 2010. The remaining costs will be split between the city and county.
The Police Department will move from the two buildings on East Third Street to the upstairs portion of the west side of the old hospital. The Municipal Court Clerk, who currently works at City Hall, will be located just next to the Police Department in the new space.
Municipal court and city council meetings will take place in a large meeting room on the ground floor of the west end of the building. For anyone who has attended a standing room only meeting or waited outside in the cold at the current Third Street location, the larger space will be a welcome change.
An emergency operations center is also being established at the west end of the building upstairs. This room can also serve as a large training or conference room. The building will have two additional meeting rooms for use by city staff, elected officials and building tenants.
The center section of the building will be occupied by health and human services organizations.
A building management committee is in charge of operational decisions regarding the facility. This committee consists of representatives from the county and the city. Currently, we are working on final details to ready the building for occupancy, discussing an official building name and determining the signage for the building. Signs will be installed at entrances to the parking lot and floor plan maps to be located inside the building entrances to direct visitors.
City staff is looking forward to a better work environment. But, we are particularly pleased with the way this is being achieved. At a cost less than “building new” we were able to preserve an historic building, turning it into a publicly-owned facility to serve the citizens.
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