The City of Allegan will be selecting a realtor to sell the current city hall at 112 Locust St. The realtor selected must be experienced in commercial sales and will also be responsible for leasing space at the new city hall building at 231 Trowbridge St.
City council members at their Feb. 25 meeting gave city staff the go ahead to create a request for proposals from realtors with specifications of the request to be presented at the next council meeting on March 11.
“I spent 10 years in the real estate business and it was said anyone who tries to sell property on their own is stupid,” said council member Nancy Ingalsbee, “I agree we need someone who is a professional in real estate to guide us through this.”
Renovations for the new city hall building are underway.
Receiving individual bids for 12 sub-categories of the project, which included plumbing, HVAC, electrical, general carpentry, etc., six bids came in over budget and were rebid and came back lower, putting the renovation cost at around $1.94 million, down from $2.4 million.
“Estimates were between $1.8 million on the low side and $2.1 million on the high side, so we are now within range,” said city manager Joel Dye. “The new bids also include installation of a new elevator and a second staircase.”
New conceptual drawings were presented to the council Jan. 14, removing such design frills as the two-story wall extending above the roof displaying a clock, a flag pole area at the curb, a fireplace, new entryway, cement fiber board finish for the exterior instead of wood and the possibility of delaying an elevator and new stairway to the basement since offices will be on the first floor.
City staff went back to the original four points for needs of a city hall. They include administrative functionality, better technology, ADA and general public accessibility, and conference rooms for both confidential and productive meetings.
A council chamber will seat 60-65 people and leaseable office space will be offered.
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