City Hall construction is well underway

The outerwalls went up on the new City Hall this week and the 9,000 square foot building is slated to be finished by mid-December.

The new building, which occupies the space where Sisters Middle School used to be, will be located next to the library and the school administration building. According to City Manager Eileen Stein, the area is becoming a new civic center campus.

“A lot of people were concerned that the school district was going to sell the land the city hall is being built on and it was going to be a Wal-Mart, but the site was saved and I am proud of that,” Stein said.

The new building that has been under design for the last two years will be built in the 1880s Western theme and will have a large clock displayed on the front. People will enter into a large lobby, and there will be a separate room for the city hall chambers and a separate planning department will be readily accessible.

The new City Hall will have three conference rooms, opposed to only one currently, and there will be extra offices and space for future growth.

“The best part really is that we have much more space to work and grow our city organization over time,” Stein said.

The old building is cramped and cannot accommodate the new city hall positions that are being added, Stein said. By 2007, the city will add five new positions, including a new planning and public works position.

“Getting this City Hall completed is important because we’re running out of spaces to put people here,” Stein said.

Once the new building is completed, the old city hall could be torn down and even used for a new parking area, according to Stein.

“This building is tired and has done its time…Our urban renewal plan does envision a point in time in the city’s future when we have more off-street parking,” Stein said.