Panel weighs city hall options
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MARSHALL -- Revisiting the question of what to do about building issues at Marshall's city hall was a complex task for members of a review committee. With a lot of possible options on the table, ranging from relocation to renovating the Municipal Building and former Marshall Hotel, committee members tried Thursday to get a sense of which ones they wanted to consider.
To do so, committee members said they needed to think about the pros and cons of different building sites, possible costs, and the logistics of moving city offices to a new home.
One thing committee members agreed on was that city offices should stay downtown.
The building review committee, made up of Marshall City Council members, city staff, and Marshall community members, started meeting this summer to pick up where a similar building task force left off in 2014. Back then, the first group had recommended Marshall renovate the Municipal Building on Main Street, to fix problems like leaks, failing heating and cooling systems, and concrete damage.
On Thursday, building committee members shared their opinions on possible building options. The idea of planning to have combined offices for city government and other organizations, like the Marshall Police Department or the Adult Community Center, didn't get a lot of enthusiasm.
Other questions, like whether to move city offices into a building like the former County Fair store or part of the Wells Fargo bank building, had mixed responses.
"I'm inclined to say, let's not discount the building," said committee member Al Greig. Staying on Main Street could help keep activity in downtown, he said.
Sheila Dubs, Marshall city human resources director and interim city administrator, said she didn't have a consensus on whether to stay in the Municipal Building or not. Her main focus, she said, was on having a safe and comfortable environment at city hall. Problems with heating systems, ADA accessibility and an aging elevator, were preventing that.
Marshall City Council member Glenn Bayerkohler said there were "serious problems" with the current Municipal Building. But at the same time, the cost of renovations would be a concern to think about.
"The taxpayer is going to want a reasonable cost," he said.
Council member David Sturrock said one difficulty was that the group didn't know exactly what the costs of moving versus renovating would be, or what the city's future needs will be.
Scott Williams told the group that no matter which option they went with - whether renovating the existing city hall or moving somewhere else -- it would carry a cost. If the city offices moved, the city would still need to fix up or tear down the old Municipal Building before the property could be sold.
Committee member Art Olson said whatever the group decided to do, it had to plan for the long term.
Marshall Public Works Director Glenn Olson said the vacant former Marshall Hotel next door to the Municipal Building should also be considered. Something would have to be done with that property, he said, and it could provide additional space for city offices.
"I'm seeing there's a pretty strong consensus to stay here," said council member John DeCramer. However, group members said that would still leave the question of where the city offices would go while renovations were being done.
Committee members volunteered to research possible lease costs for temporary offices, at locations like the County Fair building, Wells Fargo, or the Market Street Mall. City staff will also review the allowed uses for the former Marshall Hotel property.