This year the city had considered its space and building needs. It was decided some upgrades and refinishing were in order. A plan, with modest costs and in house labor was developed to address the needs at city hall. The building had seen some minor changes throughout its history but much of the carpet was original being in place since 1995. It had seen better days with wear and tear being apparent. When the Public Safety Building was established a few changes took place with shifting of office space.
The first phase of moving has started. The office space that housed the planner was converted to administrative functions with a new office being built within this area. All the walls have been painted and new carpeting laid. A work room was established for the copier, office supplies, and room to develop packets for council and committee meetings. Some left over cabinets from a previous minor change in the building were used in this room. All that was needed to be purchased was a countertop. The process of reassembly is occurring. With this we’ve been able to purge a great deal paperwork for recycling. The purging of files will continue with organization and a better approach to a central filing system will be established.
The next steps include the existing administrative offices being painted and new carpeting applied. A conference room will be established. In this space we’ll house planning, public works and sewer office space. Property files will be consolidated and a more efficient approach will be taken here to make these uses work together.
The final phase for interior work will include a recarpeting of the council chambers along with a removal of the dais and reorientation of the council table. Doing this improves the utility of the room by making a bit more space available. It also allows the AV equipment to stay where it is and be in the rear of the room rather than off to one side. The tiled area in this room was thoroughly stripped and scrubbed. This was no easy task as industrial stripper was used with a floor scrubber to clean up the years of accumulated grime. Once cleaned an industrial sealer was applied to help to keep it clean and maintain the tile.
This spring the last phase of rehabilitation will occur with the reshingling of the roof. The shingles have rapidly deteriorated in the past couple of years and a new roof is needed. The shingles that exist were on a recall so we’re hoping to get some relief towards the cost of replacement.
Changing the looks and efficiency of the building is a huge step but not the last as we work towards better operations. There is a great deal of work needed to better the organization. This all takes time but progress, even with small steps, moves us forward towards a better future.
