Sunday, August 29, 2010

Like a reality TV show, the saga of the location for a new Key West City Hall continues to spawn endless sequels.

At its last meeting, the City Commission on a 5-2 vote passed a referendum asking voters on the November ballot whether the city should acquire the Glynn Archer Elementary School building for City Hall, Commissioners Teri Johnston and Mark Rossi opposing.

This vote was taken with the knowledge that a plan to renovate Glynn Archer could cost at least $25 million -- $7 million more than the $18 million estimated to build a new City Hall with 26,000 square feet of office space, an elevated parking structure, and a fire station at the current Angela Street location.

The Glynn Archer plan includes renovating the designated historic building, constructing a fire station and parking facility on Angela and swapping a 1.5-acre parcel of city-owned land to acquire the Glynn Archer property.

We commend Mayor Craig Cates, who is spearheading this effort, for trying to reduce costs. We now question whether this is still a cost-saving effort.

Cates recently decided to seek yet another architect's input. Why? Because he doesn't agree with engineering, architectural reports and estimated costs for renovating Glynn Archer that recommend gutting the building and erecting a new building within the four walls of old building at a cost of $13.2 million; an approach designed to satisfy most of the city's design criteria already incorporated into the plans of new Angela building.

We're wondering how many architects will it take to convince the mayor that a comparable plan to renovate a historic building will cost more than building a new City Hall complex on Angela Street?

The city already has spent $750,000 on architectural designs for Angela Street, tens of thousands of dollars on engineering and architectural assessment of Glynn Archer, and it now appears to be commissioning an architectural re-examination of Glynn Archer. At this rate, we wonder if the city will have funds left for construction.

As we peel back the Glynn Archer onion, layers of additional questions and concerns are revealed.

Until the Glynn Archer possibility was reopened, the current City Hall was on schedule for demolition with new construction completed by late 2011.

Glynn Archer, on the other hand, currently houses a couple hundred students, plus faculty, who will not depart until the planned $36 million Horace O'Bryant (HOB) K-8 complex is completed sometime in 2012.

This sets up a dilemma. Either the students are transferred in 2011 to a temporary school building or the city waits to renovate and continues paying about a million dollars a year to rent temporary office space. Either alternative will increase cost.

If Glynn Archer became City Hall, this location coupled with the new HOB campus's thousand or more students, the nearby Montessori School and the commercial artery of White Street will lead to traffic congestion.

Commissioner Johnston, whose district includes all of the above, has voiced concerns and opposition to increased traffic in the surrounding residential neighborhoods. Will a traffic impact study be conducted? Are funds available to provide for pedestrian safety, additional traffic control or infrastructure if necessary?

Then there is the land swap deal that Cates suggested -- swapping a 1.55-acre parcel of city land on Trumbo Road appraised at $4 million for Glynn Archer. If this land is surplus, why not just sell it and apply the funds to the cost of construction on Angela?

As we have stated before, we believe a scaled-back and less expensive version of the planned City Hall on Angela is the best approach.

We suggest voters stay tuned, and hopefully they will receive accurate and transparent cost information in order to make their decision come November.

-- The Citizen