City Hall: Council asks for estimates on cost of upgrading ex-USFS building

Sean C. Morgan

Sweet Home city staff will spend the next couple of weeks trying to gather quotes on remodeling the old Sweet Home Ranger District building at 3225 Main St., which the City Council is considering purchasing.

An environmental assessment and an appraisal have been completed, said Finance Director Pat Gray during the council’s regular meeting on June 28. The environmental assessment came back clean, and the appraisal showed the property is worth $780,000.

The council has offered to purchase the building for $750,000 from Sweet Home Forestry LLC. The city has paid $25,000 in earnest money.

Based on an agreement with the seller, the city cannot break the deal without losing the earnest money, Gray said. The cost of construction is not part of the agreement.

With anticipated improvements, the property would be worth $1.34 million, Gray said.

Councilor Jeff Goodwin wondered aloud if the city could remodel the building for $400,000 to $500,000.

It’s going to be fixed up to serve long term as a City Hall, said City Attorney Robert Snyder. “It’s an important number, but it’s not all-consuming.”

Goodwin said he would like to know how much remodeling would cost before completing the purchase, based on a realistic estimate from local contractors.

A Portland architect estimated it would cost $1.8 million to $2.4 million on top of the sale price.

But it’s the same architect who suggested that a generator for City Hall would cost $500,000, said Councilor Greg Mahler.

City resident Hank Berg suggested that the council design a concept plan to help contractors figure out what it might cost.

City staff should be involved in that, Mahler said, outlining what they need where inside the building.

Interim City Manager Christy Wurster said a professional design would be a good idea.

Councilor James Goble questioned whether moving City Hall out of the downtown area is a good idea.

“City Hall is the hub of our community,” Goble said. “Have we done any research on if we move it out of our downtown core, how it’ll affect our hub? Or are we just all focusing on getting out there as fast as we can?”

The council has discussed it, Goodwin said. “This property, City Hall, is right smack dab in the geographical center of our city.”

Buildings are going up on that end of town, he said. “This town is moving east, toward the lake.”

But, Goodwin asked, how can the council answer the question in the next 21 days?

It should have been done before starting this process, Goble said.

Responding to a survey, people will say they don’t want it to move from the downtown area, Goodwin said, but ask the business owners on the east end of town.

“I’m trying to make a decision based on what’s best for the whole town,” he said.

Mahler said he didn’t think it would hurt the downtown area, and he didn’t think a survey would be accurate.

But the council does need a realistic estimate of what a remodel will cost, he said.

That’ll probably be within the range the council likes, Goodwin said, but he doesn’t want the amount to be a surprise once the purchase is made, such as if the architect from Portland is correct.

“It kind of puts us in an awkward position too,” Wurster said. Without fully understanding what concept the council wants, it makes it difficult to ask a contractor what it could cost.

Cubicles, she asked, or offices?

The council hasn’t had the discussion since she has been here, she said.

Goodwin suggested looking for quotes for what a contractor could do at three different levels of funding, $200,000 to $300,000; $400,000 to $600,000; and $700,000 to $1 million.

Councilor Dave Trask said he would meet with Public Works Director Mike Adams on gathering some quotes.

The former USFS building is 12,700 square feet, with 2,576 square feet in a separate building used for storage. The building was constructed in 1986 for the Forest Service. City Hall, 1140 12th Ave., is approximately 7,480 square feet. The modular building used as the City Hall Annex is 1,630 square feet.

The council is looking at moving City Hall because the condition of the current City Hall, built in 1954, is deteriorating, according to staff members.

Present at the meeting were councilors Goble, Ryan Underwood, Mahler, Trask and Goodwin.

Total
0
Share