Over the past several months, elected officials, city staff, RATIO Architects and the City Hall Schematic Design Advisory Group worked to complete an in-depth process of design for two options: rehabilitation of the existing City Hall and construction of a new building.
Rob Proctor and Brooke Funkhouser with RATIO Architects attended the meeting and provided an overview of the two schematic designs and the preliminary conceptual cost estimates. Regarding the dual pathway of design, Proctor says, “That’s a very unique process, one that we embraced whole-heartedly.” Funkhouser says, “This needs to be a place that you remember. It’s a government building. It’s a civic building.” Proctor adds, “We are celebrating government through the vehicle of design.”
The rehabilitation option involves stabilizing the existing City Hall’s canopy, improving its seismic stability, and rehabilitating its mechanical elements. The Commission Chambers would be moved to the first floor. The rehabilitation also incorporates glass on the interior to improve departmental communication and functionality and to increase customer service and way-finding. The departmental configuration would be adjusted to look at shared spaces and increase the number of departments that could operate from the building. The preliminary cost estimate for the rehabilitation is $18 million. That number includes a cost to temporarily relocate the staff during construction.
The new building option involves the construction of a four-story structure on the city-owned property on Clark Street that faces Dolly McNutt Memorial Plaza. Funkhouser says, “We selected a site that basically completes the Civic Center Zone quad.” The exterior design uses a variety of materials including metal panels, glass, and stone. The sun angles also were taken into consideration. Funkhouser says, “We want to have this building stand on its own but be respectful of the Edward Durell Stone building.” This design also places the Commission Chambers on the first floor with a pre-function space and gallery area. The preliminary cost estimate for the new construction is $18.5 million. That number includes an estimated cost of $590,000 to stabilize the current City Hall until a new owner or purpose could be determined.
Commissioner Richard Abraham commented that the next step is to decide which option is the best for the City and how to fund it.
Mayor Gayle Kaler agreed with the concern about funding, and said, “I think we have to look at our budget. In my opinion phasing in is the way to go, but how do we plan that out, and will it increase costs over time?” Kaler added, “What’s critical to me right now is the stability [of the existing building] and the safety issues.”
Commissioner Sandra Wilson said, “It would be hard to walk away from this building unless it had a new owner who had a grander vision.”
On the Net:
RATIO Summary Report at City of Paducah Website
