The architectural drawings are expected to be completed by the end of the month, with bids going out shortly after that.
Officials have budgeted funds to pay for the new buildings from several sources, including the utility fund, impact fees and the general fund, City Manager Mario Gisbert said.
“Part of that gets budgeted into this year, and the other part of that gets budgeted into next year,” he said.
The first phase of the project is expected to cost about $9 million. That phase will include an 18,000-square-foot police station that is 10,000 square feet larger than the current one, as well as a 20,000-square-foot Public Works building that will offer a one-stop location for people to get their permits.
“If you want to get a permit today, you’d start off going to the building department, then go to the utility department, then you’d go to water department,” Gisbert said.
The extra space is sorely needed in the police station.
“The old police station was built in 1959,” Gisbert said. “It’s about 8,000 square feet and it’s been added on little by little. It’s a hodgepodge of renovations. The Police Department is having a rough time in their current building due to lack of space.”
City Hall and the Tourist Development Council building will not be torn down for the first phase of the project.
“The parking lot on [State] 79 is where the Public Works building will be,” he said.
When phase one is completed, the main entrance to the municipal complex will be from
“The advantage is now you have one parking lot that services the whole complex so that there is shared parking,” Gisbert said.
He added that another advantage to the design is parking will be behind the buildings, so it’s more aesthetically pleasing.
“It is ugly to look at a parking lot before you look at the building,” Gisbert said, “so this gives you more of an urban feel. There will be sidewalks through here” in front of buildings. “The idea is to encourage pedestrian traffic.”
The master plan of the project calls for the city to eventually build a new City Hall and Fire Department building.
“I’m not saying we’re building those any time soon,” he said.
City Engineer Al Shortt said the earliest construction could start on phase one would be Nov. 1, and it would take 11 to 12 months to construct the buildings. Then, the old buildings need to be torn down.
Gisbert said it will take at least a year and a half to have all of phase one completed.
“Keep in mind, I can’t shut down City Hall while we are doing this, and that complicates things,” he said. “We have to build the two new buildings. Once those buildings are completely built, then the people in the old buildings move into the new buildings. Once they move into the new buildings, then I can tear out the old buildings. At one point in time, I’m literally going to have two completely functioning sets of buildings until everybody moves out of those.”
For a year, the Public Works department will be sharing offices throughout the municipal complex until its new building is finished, Gisbert said.
Gisbert said the utilities will be moved underground, and the new buildings will be constructed to withstand winds of 146 miles per hour.
“Once we start this thing, we’re completely replacing all of our phone and data system,” Gisbert said. “We’re completely replacing all of our power. We’re going to have generators where we didn’t have generators.”