By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Next year at this time, the new Bowling Green City Administrative Services Building will be open for business. More than 20 years after it was first discussed, the new city building is expected to provide a welcome place for the public and city employees.
“We’re really excited for the potential of the new building,” Mayor Mike Aspacher said Monday evening during an update on the building to City Council.
But unforeseen expenses have led to a higher end cost than the projected $11 million price tag.
Like other current construction projects, the building materials are coming in high and the supply chain is slow. Problems at the site have also added to the cost – including unsuitable soil conditions that created structural challenges, and bedrock under Oak Street where a sewer line is being installed.
Aspacher would not predict the new price tag for the building, but told City Council members that he would present it to them soon – along with a strategy for paying the higher cost.
Council member Bill Herald asked if the project would burn through the “healthy” contingency fund set aside for the project. Aspacher said the city will maintain contingency funding.
“We’re striving to build a building that will meet our goals” and be responsible to taxpayers, the mayor said.
“Things are going to start moving very rapidly,” Aspacher said, predicting the new building will be completed by the end of July 2023. “It will be enclosed and under roof before snow flies.”
The new building is being constructed on the grounds of the former senior center at 305 N. Main St. Most of the old senior center, built in 1914 as a post office, has been bulldozed. But the front historic facade on North Main Street has been preserved and is a focal point of the new building’s design.
The existing city building, located in the same block, was also repurposed. The building is barely ADA accessible, has inadequate security, plus its size and configuration often result in an overflowing council chambers. The new building will nearly double the space in the council chambers to hold 120 people
The current city administration building, at 304 N. Church St., began its life more than a century ago as a school. It then was turned into a library, and in 1976 became the city administration building. The result is a 17,000 square foot building with cramped offices, maze-like spaces and cobbled together technology.
The new building will be more functional for the public and for city employees.
“We think the building really does achieve all of our goals,” Aspacher said.
The new building blends the historic significance of the old senior center with the modern needs of the community.
The first floor of the new city building will have the larger council chamber, plus the offices most often used by the public – the tax department, planning and grants, utilities and public works. The second floor will house the mayor’s office, law, finance, and IT departments.
“Certainly it’s a building that’s going to be much more accessible to the public,” Aspacher said. “We’re very excited about the progress and how this building will serve the community for years to come.”
The city has invested in sustainable design concepts that will mean more efficient operation of the building, the mayor said.
And city officials were committed to preserving the front facade of the old senior center – which is where the new council chambers will sit.
“I know a lot of people were really pulling for us to save this building,” said Ray Micham, from The Collaborative. But the existing city building posed too many problems including accessibility, mechanical, electrical, code compliance and size issues.
“It didn’t take long to come to a decision that this building should come down,” Micham said.
The old senior center had its own issues, including water infiltration in the basement and roof problems. So the decision was made to scrap the problems while saving the historic stone front.
“It does really have a wonderful facade,” Micham said. “It’s hard to replicate that in this age.”
Efforts are being made so the new design elements are compatible with the historic front, said Justin Fogle, from The Collaborative.
Council member Greg Robinette asked Aspacher if office furnishings from the existing city building can be salvaged for the new building. The mayor said efforts are being made to repurpose items like file cabinets.
But Aspacher predicted, “there’s not going to be a lot.”
Operations will continue in the existing city building until the new site is finished in the summer of 2023. After that, the current city building will be demolished to make room for a city parking lot with 82 spaces.
