09/01/2023
City Council does not have the authority to force the administration to move back into City Hall, and this administration made it clear that they no longer feel City Hall is the best location for us and that they have no plans to ever move back into the building. So, if the administration has made it clear they do not intend to move back to 245 W Fourth Street, what are our options? We have two. One, we sit on an (almost) empty 40,000 square-foot building and continue to waste taxpayer dollars to maintain it, or two, we sell it to someone who can repair it, while maintaining its historic external features and even some of its internal ones as well.
In late 2021 (well after the City’s Ad hoc committee wrapped up their study) the firm of Eastlake, Derry & Associates, LLC performed an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) site review of Trade and Transit Center I (TT1), Trade and Transit Center II (TT2), (now) the River Valley Transit Authority building, the Transportation Museum, and City Hall. This report was publicly presented to City Council and is readily available for anyone who wishes to read it. The report includes a 31-page spreadsheet of everything REQUIRED to be fixed, altered, repaired, or completely redone to make the buildings ADA-compliant under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Of that 31-page spreadsheet, the repairs at City Hall make up 19 PAGES, which is 61% of the total document. One citizen stated on Tuesday night, “From a technical standpoint, on accessibility, certainly City Hall is handicapped accessible, for the most part, there are some small technical issues or minor technical issues that should be addressed”. Here are just THREE examples from the report that prove this statement to be completely inaccurate:
1. According to the spreadsheet, almost every bathroom in the building would need the following work, “The restroom is inaccessible in its entirety and would require major renovations including possible relocation of bearing walls, plumbing rough-ins, electrical and mechanical system features. All finishes within the restroom will need replacing due to age and unavailability”.
2. City Hall would require an entirely new and larger elevator, quote: “Provide an elevator having at least the minimum dimensions required. With a centered door the minimum width would be 80 inches, and the minimum depth would be 54 inches”. As to the current elevator, quote: “Elevator leveler is just scary. Very small car dimensions are 48 inches deep and 73 inches wide”. That is an entirely new and larger elevator
3. Directly from the report; “The other major issue at City Hall that will have to be addressed before the building provides services to the public is the fire alarm system. Currently there appears to be a dilapidated old audible system (red bell), but no visual alarms are provided in the building to warn people with hearing related disabilities of danger. Visual alarms will require a major update including in-wall wiring and a new master panel for the alarm system.”
These are just three examples of the construction that would need to be done at City Hall. The report ends, with the following underlined assessment “In Summary, the TT1, TT2, RVT, and Museum buildings can all be very accessible with attention given to the few items pointed out in this report. In our opinion, the City Hall building would have to undergo a very large investment in remediation projects with marginal outcomes for better accessibility”.
Marginal outcomes. This is a huge commitment of resources for “marginal outcomes.”
Two Choices. Sell or continue to cling to a 40,000-square-foot building the administration has no intention of ever setting foot in again.
