Open Source: Why are people still in the Plaza Building if it’s in such bad shape?

Editor’s note: This article was updated at 8:40 a.m. on Jan. 6, 2024, to clarify information about the engineering equipment.

MOUNT VERNON — A Knox Pages reader is concerned the city is spending too much time talking about new municipal buildings instead of moving quickly to get people out of the Plaza Building.

“If the building were to partially or totally collapse with people inside, the city could face lawsuits that might bankrupt the city,” he wrote.

The reader added that getting people out of the building is arguably the priority. He also questioned whether the police department could move temporarily into the basement of City Hall and the remaining employees into Heartland Commerce Park.

The Plaza Building at 5 N. Gay St. is home to the Mount Vernon Police Department, adult probation, city law director’s office, and Mount Vernon Municipal Court.

Safety-service Director Tanner Salyers acknowledged our reader’s concerns of a potential serious event. He noted those concerns are why the administration is focused on finding a solution after years of discussion.

“While that building is not in good condition, it is not in calamitous condition,” he said. “It’s not ready to fall in on itself.”

Salyers emphasized that no event precipitated the city’s decision to eliminate public parking in the garage. However, he said every time it freezes and thaws, the building becomes more unsafe.

Additionally, because of the tight space in the garage, drivers bump into the steel beams, shaking the entire building.

“We have had numerous engineers or consultants examine the building. That’s why we have three-quarters of a mile of steel propping up the parking garage,” he said.

“The fewer people who need to be in there the better. We’re mitigating the risk as much as possible.”

Is moving the MVPD to the basement feasible?

Relocating the MVPD to the basement of City Hall is not practical, Salyers said. The MVPD occupies 9,420 square feet in the Plaza Building. The basement is 4,192 square feet.

The only available space in the basement is the conference room, which includes a closet for engineering equipment. Engineering staff cannot access the equipment when the conference room is in use.

As far as an immediate relocation to Heartland Commerce Park, Salyers said the administration building is “absolutely not” move-in ready.

According to Salyers, during a Nov. 6, 2024, walk-through of HCP, Pizzuti representatives said 18 months is an aggressive timeline for “white boxing” part of the administration building.

A “white box” essentially is a room void of everything in the interior except the required structural walls. Salyers estimated it would take an additional six to 12 months to finish the building.

What’s the emergency plan if something happens to the Plaza Building?

Municipal Judge John Thatcher arranged for another structural examination of the building. Salyers expects the report, which will be available in the spring, to show the number of years left on the building’s lifespan.

“That will really drive the discussion home,” Salyers said.

“Right now, if we have to evacuate people out, it won’t likely be due to a catastrophe. It’s more likely an engineering report will come back and tell us it’s unsafe.”

If evacuation is necessary, the city’s COOP (Continuity of Operations) plan calls for the law director’s office to relocate to the CA&C depot.

The police department will relocate to the B&O Depot on West High Street, and the court to either City Hall or The Station Break.

“The important thing about the court is there are rules about how a building has to function when a court is the building,” Salyers said.

If the court relocates to City Hall, administrative staff will spread out and either work from the water/wastewater plants and cemetery offices or from home.

“However, we don’t want to get to that point,” Salyers said. “That’s why we’re taking seriously public input on options, but we don’t have a lot of time.”

Next steps

Administration officials scheduled a series of meetings to collect public input on facility planning for a new municipal courthouse (justice center), police station, and city annex.

The city is offering three options for discussion:

•Centralized development, where the justice center and annex are located on Public Square

•Distributed facility model, where the court moves into a new city annex and city departments relocate to Heartland Commerce Park

•Suggestions of new ideas or possible combination of the first two options

In any scenario, the police department will relocate to Sychar Road.

Below is a PDF of the options and advantages and challenges of each option.