Construction is nearly complete on the new Bowling Green City Administrative Services Building at 305 N. Main St., and preparations are underway to move services from the existing building to the new.
As a result, all public meetings typically held at the city building will be canceled during the month of July. The new and old city building will be closed on Friday, July 14, and Monday, July 17, to allow for the move and to reestablish operations.
The new building is expected to open to the public for full service on Tuesday, July 18, at 8 a.m.
Members of the public are invited to a “sneak peek” of the new city building on Wednesday, July 12, from 3 to 6 p.m.
The second phase of construction will include the demolition of the old building at 304 N. Church St. and construction of the new parking lot, which will extend into the library’s parking lot. The library’s parking lot will be accessible from Court Street.
During this phase of the project, a limited amount of parking, including handicap parking, will be available on the north side of the new city building, accessible from Main Street. Parking will also be available from nearby city parking lots.
The completion date for this phase of the project is estimated to be in October 2023.
The existing standalone drop box will be removed from the old city building on July 17. Residents should begin using the new drop box that is connected to the new building, adjacent to the entrance.
The new city building is a two-story, 31,800-square-foot modern facility. The utilities business office, income tax, public works, engineering, planning, community development, and communications departments are located on the first floor – making it easy and accessible for the public to interact with the most public-facing departments and offices.
In addition, the capacity of the council chamber is twice the current accommodations, with enough room for roughly 100 residents to participate in public meetings.
Hearing assistance technology was incorporated into the plans of the new facility, most especially in the council chamber, to ensure those needing hearing assistance may fully participate in public meetings.
Sustainability was another area of focus. Early in the planning process, the design team identified various ways to incorporate sustainability into the building. Modern windows and efficient HVAC systems will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The HVAC system also includes an ice storage system to help reduce electrical usage during hot days when trying to cool the building.
The site has a 74,000-gallon underground stormwater detention basin to reduce the amount of stormwater entering the combined sewer during rain events, thereby helping to reduce the possibility of combined sewer overflows during storms.
Additionally, the new site will include a shared grass area with the Wood County District Public Library, reducing the impervious surface of the current site.
