MOUNT VERNON — West High Street resident Andrew Pike said the city has received its final warning about the Plaza Building’s failure and should clear it immediately.
Pike said administration officials provided details about the proposed new municipal buildings during the city’s three-month listening tour. However, they avoided discussing why the city needs to build the structures now.
“So let me give voice to what is not being said,” he said at Monday’s city council meeting.
“This discussion is happening now because of 5 N. Gay St. This 51-year-old building has been reinforced three times in less than 20 years: in 2008, 2012, and 2023, the third time under emergency conditions.
“Therefore, the remaining life of this building should be considered to be zero. The city, in my opinion, will not get another warning before failure. You’ve already had your final warning.”
Pike said the plan to move city services from City Hall to Heartland Commerce Park (HCP), move Mount Vernon Municipal Court to City Hall, and then build an annex north of City Hall would work well.
However, he said, the Plaza Building “needs to be cleared out now before anyone is hurt or killed.”
Pike disagrees with suggestions that Judge John Thatcher find the money if he wants to relocate the court now or that the building is safe enough for city services to move into.
“No one should be endangered by that building,” he said.
An aggressive timeline for vacating the Plaza Building
Pike said the Plaza Building can be cleared out by Dec. 31.
To accomplish that, he called for an immediate closure of the parking ramp.
“Having it remain open is an unnecessary public risk. Permit only city-owned vehicles in there and place barricades around the reinforcing I-beams, please,” Pike said.
The next step is to vacate City Hall by April 30, no later than May 7, bring in civil engineering and design teams to refit the building, and complete designs by May 31.
City services would find temporary locations for 18 to 24 months while preparing the HCP building for occupancy.
“Next, sign off on construction for refitting City Hall as a municipal courthouse. You should have six months to get that completed by Dec. 1 or no later than Dec. 15,” he told the council.
“Use the remaining weeks of December to move the second and third floors of 5 N. Gay St. into the newly refitted municipal court. That will reduce the structural loading on 5 N. Gay St.
“The police department can then be moved to temporary quarters, and you’re free to take down 5 N. Gay St. before it takes itself down. And you’re done with that building.”
Under Pike’s timeline, the city would then build the new police station and move in personnel, finish the rehabilitation of the HCP administration building, and move the city’s legislative and executive branches in by the end of 2026 or 2027.
Council approves applying for USDA grant for new police station
Council members approved q second read of legislation to apply for a USDA rural development grant for the new police station at 71 Sychar Road.
Councilman James Mahan noted the authorization only applies to submitting an application for federal aid and does not obligate the city to anything.
“There are going to be a lot of phases to do this, but this loan is one of the first steps,” he said.
City Engineer Brian Ball said the city would apply for a grant and a longer-term, low-interest loan. The loan will be the primary purpose because there is “substantially more” loan money available than grant money.
The city must apply before USDA can review the city’s contract with the architect to ensure the terms and conditions are acceptable.
Ball estimates the administration will return to the council four more times for various permissions before construction starts.
Engineering will ultimately present the council with an architect’s guaranteed maximum price and ask for permission to enter into a construction contract. At that point, council members will know the financing and construction details.
The city will have to provide interim financing because the USDA does not pay until the city completes the project, and it is acceptable to USDA standards.
The financial discussion includes evaluating various combinations of funding, keeping in mind the city’s debt status.
The city is capped at how much debt it can incur with and without voter approval.
Debt incurred for utility projects is excluded from the cap because water, wastewater, and stormwater fees repay that debt.
Additionally, the city started saving money in 2017 to replace the Plaza Building. That fund balance is approximately $4 million.
‘A critical check mark’
Ball said Monday’s approval to apply for the grant/loan is a critical check mark toward meeting the completion deadline tied to a $2 million grant the city received.
Although there is no set date when the USDA will notify the city if it receives the grant, Ball said the city has been in contact with USDA officials since last summer.
“They have been in the parking garage, and this is a priority project. So as soon as we can get this to them, they’re ready to go,” Ball said.
Safety-service Director Tanner Salyers said BKB would likely be the design team; the management consultant is Pizzutti Solutions.
Pizzutti will create a “road map” so council members know the steps and requirements throughout the process.
