Potential Project #3: New City Hall/Civic Center
The final project under consideration
In my report “Potential $ ballot question for 2025,” I told you there might be a ballot question this year asking voters for a tax increase to fund the improvement and redesign of two current city facilities and to build a new civic center. The city plans to provide information about the projects and conduct a poll to gauge resident support. Info about three upcoming city meetings can be found at the bottom of this report. I wanted to get this information out to you before the city starts community outreach. That begins tonight, so I barely made it!
THE PROJECTS
Possible project number one is the redesign and expansion of the city’s Parks and Public Works Service Center.
Possible project number two has two options for the aquatic area at the Bob Burger Recreation Center (BBRC).
Possible project number three is a brand new combo City Hall/Civic Center. In 2020, the city purchased land for a new city hall. It’s a couple of blocks down from the current location, still on Public Rd. but to the north of the RTD Park and Ride. The preliminary cost estimate is $34 million.
TOTAL ESTIMATED COST FOR ALL THREE
From a February staff memo:
“Financial Analysis
The preliminary assessments related to the three priority projects provided cost estimates based on what was included in the design, applicable “soft costs” (such as further design, project management support, and permitting), and escalation to reflect construction beginning in 2026. The preliminary cost estimates are $34 million for the Bob Burger Recreation Center “Option A” renovation, $34 million for the new City Hall construction, and $6 million for the Service Center expansion and renovation. These cost estimates are intentionally conservative to accommodate for unknown economic factors and should be considered preliminary until they can be refined through additional design work if the project concepts are advanced.”
OUR FIRST CITY HALL
City Hall was originally located on Simpson St. It’s the building that is now home to the East Simpson Coffee Company.
Local historian and he who knows all, Doug Conarroe has an interesting write-up about it on his blog Lafayette History. He tells us it was built in 1907 with a voter-approved bond of $5000. It was also the place where the fire engine was stored!
Doug’s report has some fascinating information about Swan Edison, Lafayette’s mayor from 1910 to 1912 who he calls Lafayette’s toughest mayor. He writes “Edison became active in local politics when he ran for town mayor in 1903 on the Socialist ticket, seeking to unseat the staunch anti-saloon Citizen’s ticket mayor and trustees. In 1908 he was elected trustee under the pro-saloon Labor ticket, and his fellow pro-alcohol allies set about guaranteeing coal miners’ access to liquor.”
THE CURRENT CITY HALL
The current city hall was built in 1985. I moved to Lafayette around 1987. We had no separate library, it was in city hall, in the area at the front of the building, now the lobby. Our police department was down a corridor to the right of the finance window. We had no stand-alone police station.
At one point the city entered into an agreement with the Chamber of Commerce, owner of the Starkey building next to Festival Plaza. The chamber moved into the front part of city hall, (where the library used to be) and the city took possession of the Starkey building. Later the city purchased the Starkey building and the chamber moved down to Simpson St, before landing in its current location on Baseline. Now the city owns the Starkey building renovation plans are underway. I wrote about it here.
FROM A STAFF MEMO IN FEBRUARY:
City Hall
The current City Hall building was built in 1985. While it has undergone renovations since its inception, they were largely to adjust functions within the building (i.e., relocating the Police Department or repurposing space previously leased by the Chamber of Commerce) to accommodate immediate space constraints, and none of them expanded the footprint of the building. The most recent renovation, completed in 2022, was intended to be a 3- to 5- year solution largely focused on building security and realigning public access while more in- depth assessments were underway. That project added two conference rooms, one collaboration space, and four individual offices and split one large office into working spaces for multiple employees. Since the remodel, one of the conference rooms and a collaboration space were converted to accommodate two employees in each, three offices have been split to accommodate shared offices, and eight workstations have been added in hallway spaces.
Due to the unique design of City Hall and new development adjacent to the building, there are limited options to expand the footprint or carve out additional workspace within the current building without additional negative impacts to shared or collaboration spaces. Further, due to its age, the building will require significant near- and long-term maintenance investments to remain safe and operational, including a roof replacement; LED light conversion; asphalt repaving and significant ADA-related improvements; new roof-top units and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment; and fire suppression equipment.
City Hall currently has 74 workspaces, with an estimated need of 98 workspaces by 2040. This figure was developed based on a staffing analysis to understand anticipated increases in services and related staffing changes to meet demand through 2040. The initial findings were reviewed holistically and refined to compare against budget realities and other anticipated financial pressures. The primary departments anticipating staffing increases at City Hall are Planning and Building, Public Works, and Sustainability, largely to continue professionalizing City services and support the implementation of strategic visions established by residents and City Council through the Housing and Economic Development Strategic Plan, Multimodal Transportation Plan, and Climate Action Plan.
Foreseeing these space and maintenance needs, the City purchased vacant land two blocks north of the current City Hall in September of 2020 to construct a new civic center. Constructing a new City Hall based on these findings would provide the City with a variety of benefits, including:
Sufficient and Functional Space to Support City Operations – A new City Hall would provide the space necessary for City operations well into the future, including space for staff who provide services and rooms available to the community for additional meetings or programs.
Improved Energy Efficiency – Staff strive to invest in energy efficient options during facility maintenance activities where technically and financially feasible; however, options are limited to the existing equipment and functionality of City Hall, and retrofitting is often cost prohibitive without a new revenue source. The assessment estimates a 28% reduction in energy use for a new building when compared to what energy the current City Hall would utilize in 2040.
Flexibility for the Future – The current City Hall has supported the community for 40 years through tremendous population growth (8,985 residents in 1980 to 30,411 residents in 2020) and improved service delivery. While that same population growth is not anticipated, additional population growth and staffing increases are anticipated following the 2040 assessment end date. Acknowledging this likelihood, the conceptual City Hall design included space for additional workspaces within the proposed footprint, and the design could better accommodate future expansions (if warranted) than the current building.
Relocated Municipal Court – Lafayette’s Municipal Court is currently located in the same building as its Police Department. While the City has made a concerted effort to develop appropriate policies, procedures, and structures to avoid formal conflicts of interest, the proximity can be a perceived conflict of interest and make defendants uncomfortable. Further, there is only one room at the Police and Court Building that can accommodate large staff meetings, trainings, community meetings, and court proceedings. Relocating the Municipal Court to City Hall, as is proposed in the preliminary concept, would provide a physical separation between the law enforcement and court functions of the City as well as address serious space and storage constraints Municipal Court staff are experiencing.
Strategic Investment in Lafayette’s Downtown – Finally, constructing a new City Hall is a long-term investment in Lafayette’s downtown that would embody the City’s priorities of quality community amenities, environmental stewardship, and a connected community. It would support a variety of Lafayette’s adopted plans, including the recently approved Downtown Development Authority Plan of Development which includes multiple goals and strategies related to further activating South Public Road and developing this corridor with strategic infill. Further, the building would provide better pedestrian connectivity to South Public Road and communal green space transitioning between the right-of-way and entrance to the building.
COMMUNITY INFORMATION SESSIONS
Live streaming will be available at lafayetteco.gov/StreamingVideo or on the City’s YouTube Channel.
Wednesday, April 2: This session will focus on Quality Service Delivery
6-7pm
City Hall | 1290 S. Public Road
Wednesday, April 30: This session will focus on Fiscal Responsibility
6-7pm
City Hall | 1290 S. Public Road
Thursday, May 15: This session will focus on Sustainability and Environmental Stewardship
6-7pm
City Hall | 1290 S. Public Road
Want to offer more support? Awesome!
Been doinʻ some thinninʻ here. Arranged in NPO (No Particular Order):
- $74 million bucks is a lot of money. The residents of Lafayette have, in the last four years, been hit with double digit inflation (thatʻs cumulative), double digit increases in water prices, major increases in property taxes, and now the expert economists are getting their Fruit-of-the-Looms in wad over a possible recession. Not sure this is a good time to ask the hard workers of Lafayette to further tax themselves (thatʻs what bond issue does -- donʻt anyone kid themselves).
- The Laws of Physics are iron clad. You cannot appeal the law of gravity. There are few things in the realm of the social sciences that are as iron clad, but one of those is Parkinsonʻs Law, While it was empirically derived, it seems to hold everywhere. It says, "Bureaucracies grow four percent per year completely independent of needs." BTW, those are true needs - not, "Gee we could do X if we hired a couple more people." Looking at Karenʻs lay out of the increases in Lafayetteʻs city staff, it seems to be in fine fettle here. Maybe, just maybe, before we go building a new city hall, we should look at what weʻre doing with the eye of someone spending their own (instead of your) money.
- The city (and the state for that matter) have become addicted to federal government grants. It isnʻt at all clear to me that those grants are going to continue coming. Mayhaps we should plan and be prepared for that eventuality. Hope is not a strategy.
- While I appreciate having the Rec Center, I will, again, ask why the city has one. We have the YMCA and commercial gyms. Things like the Rec Center are perfect examples of distributed costs and focused benefits (everyone pays for it, but a minority of people use it)
- Looking at the drawing of the new city hall, I have to ask why, if Lafayette is jumping through its own rear end to be energy conscious, do we have a multi story atrium (aka heat sump). Also, given that Colorado enjoys an enormous number of sunny days, why do we have so many south facing windows? Is that so we can use more electrons to cool the upper two thirds of the atrium?
I think these initiatives are ill timed and being proposed without truly considering the alternatives and whatʻs best for the taxpayers here in Lafayette.
For the record, I know that the aquatic area at the Rec Center must be fixed, but the private sector would have had an established reserve fund (as those evil HOAs are required to have by, ahem, government) to fund such emergent needs, but governments donʻt have to do that because they can always squeeze the taxpayer more.
Karen I appreciate your sharing these details, including those of our old City Hall on Simpson. I remember it well from childhood, and am happily reminded by its creaky floors every time I enjoy a coffee at East Simpson.
Like Guy, I would express similar sentiments. Three capital construction and renovation projects funded by 20 year bonds totaling $74M, without an NTE even is concerning. Our residents are funding a new water treatment center and additional fire station through increased sales tax and substantial fees added to monthly utility bills. I might swallow some of this if it was one project only, but three in addition to what we’re already paying!?! I think many of us already know that City under Gary Klaphake’s earlier leadership, did not plan well for future growth in unison with their Planning Department! A lack of contribution to ongoing annual budgets for “Capital Construction Funds” is evident! There in lies the problem, but taxpayers are already footing significant costs in our community — three proposed capital projects in the current climate is not realistic. Nor are the assumptions for future staffing needs at present. The City should be endeavoring to shore up what will be funding losses from other agencies in the near future, including State. Stabilizing existing staffing levels as a result and residential services should be paramount. Those of us who work in other local governments know that.
I’d add a funny thing too. My neighborhood used to see City snow plows after significant storms when Doug Short was at Public Works. Haven’t seen a plow here in 6 years, but the City Service Center needs a renovation? We also only have one non-animal control Code Enforcement Officer, very part-time, he’s a Sr. Planner too. Want to know how many surrounding municipalities have? And their officers are still part of Police Departments, not moved to a Planning Departnent to cover a shortfall in staffing and do double duty. That to has led to problems in our community, which left unattended are starting to spiral. Again, let’s interject some realism, City leaders need to refine these requests, table them, consider retention and to, remote office workspace as other agencies source with drop in shared spaces for in-office days. Even better for the environment!