PB City Hall, Police & Court Expected to Relocate
POPLAR BLUFF – In a letter dated September 19, the City Manager informed council that his estimate to bring the city hall structure into code compliance and building repair is $2M. Kaplan stated in his letter that staff was cataloging all of the code violations the building is currently in violation, “to hold governmental structures to the same standard as other structures when enforcing code compliance.”
Kaplan wrote, “I am currently preparing a plan to continue government activities by temporarily relocating City Hall, Police Department and Municipal Court to other locations since the costs of renting will be significantly lower than the anticipated costs of repair.”
The full letter is below:
City Manager Report
September 19, 2014
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Heath Kaplan, City Manager
SUBJECT: Disposition of City Hall
On September 8, 2014, I met with an architect to secure an opinion on repairing City Hall, Police Department and Municipal Court. After an exhaustive review of the structure, the architect estimated the costs of bringing the building to code would outweigh the value of the building. The cost of repairing the roof alone ranges from $500-$800K. The option of simply patching the existing roof is not a viable option due to past patching and the unleveled surface. Staff is in the process of having an outside code agency review the building to compile a list of code violations for the existing structure. The reason for this review is to hold governmental structures to the same standard as other structures when enforcing code compliance. Once the list is completed, the Council will have a full understanding of the challenges of renovating the existing City Hall. I anticipate the costs for repairing and bringing the building into compliance with the existing code to exceed $2 million.
I am currently preparing a plan to continue government activities by temporarily relocating City Hall, Police Department and Municipal Court to other locations since the costs of renting will be significantly lower than the anticipated costs of repair. Once municipal operations are stabilized, then the next phase of the project is to hire a consultant (architect) to complete a feasibility study. We will need an architect with experience with municipal buildings, more specifically City Halls, Police Departments and Municipal Courts. I will publish a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) next week to begin the process of securing a consultant.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the process as outlined, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Heath Kaplan
City Manager