SC Nebraska News

When they meet for their work session, 5:30 p.m., June 19 at 220 N. Hastings Ave., members of the Hastings City Council will hear recommendations for the future of City Hall.

Based on careful examination of the options, the committee recommends the new build option, which is only about $400,000, or 4.7%, more than the renovation option.

Staff members respect the City Council’s autonomy and authority to make this decision. Action on the item would take place at a future meeting because voting cannot occur during a work session.

Here are the cost estimates and grading of potential options:

New Build (Grade A-), $8,858,170 (Previously $10,868,746)

Renovation (Grade: B+), $8,461,139 (Previously $9,330,579)

North Denver (Grade: B-), $10,363,855 (Previously $9,094,046)

Repair (Grade: F), $2,000,000

For more information, and to read the full analysis of the design options, visit the following links:

Final City Hall Summary and Recommendations

City of Hastings City Hall Budget Estimates

City of Hastings City Hall Drawings

Members of the City Hall committee – City Administrator Shawn Metcalf; Trent Kelly, Director of Technology and Operations, Hastings Public Schools; Chris Wissing, Vice President of Johnson Imperial Homes; Dave Rippe, CEO of Queen City Development; Lee Vrooman, City Director of Engineering; Marty Stange, City Environmental Director; Kim Jacobitz, City Clerk – met numerous times with the key objective of trying to understand what residents really want. 

Multiple town hall meetings were held with high attendance, tours of City Hall were given, information was shared through various media outlets, and the city conducted a survey in which nearly 600 residents expressed opinions about City Hall. 

One of the survey questions asked if the location of City Hall is important to residents. 55% said it was very or somewhat important. 45% indicated that it was not so important or not important at all. There were, however, an overwhelming number of comments that seemed to indicate residents want City Hall in the downtown area. There were also a significant number of comments that indicated a desire to have City Hall in a central location.

Committee members spent a significant amount of time analyzing data and now feel that City Council members can now make an informed decision on behalf of the residents. 

Costs have greatly increased over the past year and a half since the last architectural drawings were provided. Fortunately, costs for two of the options were reduced from previous estimates. 

The new drawings are not a perfect comparison to previous designs. For example, the prior renovation of city hall included a council chamber addition, whereas the new plan removes the addition. 

Architectural drawings are not set in stone, but an educated guess on potential costs and general layout of each option. Bids are not obtained until drawings are set in stone, and the project is not to that point. 

For more information, and to read the full analysis of the design options, visit the following links:

Final City Hall Summary and Recommendations

City Hall Budget Estimates

City of Hastings City Hall Drawings

Original source can be found here.