As of Tuesday evening, the city of Key West became the proud and official owner of a 510-foot former military ship known locally as the Vandenberg.

City Attorney Shawn Smith told the City Commission on Tuesday that the city received title to the ship just moments before the commission meeting at Old City Hall. The ship, in the coming weeks, will be prepared for travel and towed to Key West. It will be sunk as the world's second-largest artificial reef this spring for divers, snorkelers, fishermen, students and researchers.

The city also is one step closer to building a new city hall, following a report Tuesday night by architect Michael Ingram, whose firm is charged with evaluating sites for the new facility.

Ingram and his team reported that the construction of a new building at the site of the current City Hall is "marginally better" than the same building being erected at Wickers Field.

Commissioners in two weeks will vote on their final site choice, and Commissioner Barry Gibson asked for significant public input prior to that decision.

"This is their city hall, and I want to know what the citizens think," Gibson said.

The new facility will cost between $22 million to $26 million, depending on the location. The possibilities also include new or renovated fire stations at each location, both of which already house fire stations in dire need of repairs.

Commissioner Dan Kolhage also wants to consider moving the commission chambers from Old City Hall to the new building.

The move would make it much easier for the public to attend commission and other public meetings and to find convenient parking, he said.

A third proposed option was to put a new city hall on the waterfront property near the current school district headquarters on Trumbo Road.

Ingram's research showed that the costs associated with that option would be exponentially more than the other sites, and would require significant long-term planning.

The city currently has about $13 million set aside for the construction of a new city hall, and Assistant City Manager Mark Finigan will begin developing financial plans for the other $13 million. The proposal could include a bond, which would require a voter referendum.

• In other activity, commissioners delayed a vote on whether to begin legal proceedings to gain ownership of Admiral's Cut next to the Westin Resort and Marina.

City Commissioner Mark Rossi has been calling for those proceedings. He agreed to table the vote upon learning that the city attorney has a meeting scheduled with the owners of Admiral's Cut at the end of this month.

Mark Walsh and Tom McMurrian, representatives of Ocean Properties Inc., the company that owns the Westin and Sunset Key, will meet with Smith and others from the city the last week of February, Smith said.

"This is something that is sorely needed, as it will complete the water walkway from the ferry terminal to the East Quay Wall at Truman Waterfront," Rossi said. "The time for this has come."

mbolen@keysnews.com