Edmond kicks off 18-month project to replace city hall, build parking garage

EDMOND — Contractors are taking first steps this week to start an 18-month project to replace the community's city hall and municipal courts building, plus add a parking garage downtown.

On Monday, members of Edmond's city council authorized paying Flintco, the job's construction manager, $6.9 million to start the job.

Two existing city-owned buildings will be removed to make room. Demolition should start within days on Edmond's community center at 28 E Main (the southwest corner of Main and Littler), the site where the new 59,000-square-foot city hall will be built.

The center, acquired in 1993 for $400,000 from First Baptist Church of Edmond, was rented out for community events the past 30 years. Edmond also leased space inside the center to Oklahoma County, which established satellite offices there in 1997 to provide some services to area residents.

The parking garage will be built on the intersection's southeast corner, after another city-owned office building is cleared.

The city plans to build a garage three stories tall with 216 free parking spaces for city employees and downtown visitors. Earlier plans to include additional parking and retail space on its ground floor were cut to trim costs.

The 15,000-square-foot municipal court building will be built on a surface parking lot located between where the garage will be built and Boulevard's intersection with Main Street.

Employees and services already have been relocated out of the buildings about to be demolished. Littler will be closed between First and Main, and Main will be closed in front of the community center while the project is built. The city expects the new city center complex will be finished by April 2025.

City officials have said the new buildings will give employees attractive, secure and functional places to work and provide residents with improved services and meeting spaces.

The projects are being paid for using $44 million the city borrowed from an area bank on a 15-year note earlier this year. The city will retire the city center complex debt using revenues collected through a temporary half-cent sales tax voters agreed to extend in 2016 to help pay for it and other projects.

Earlier this year, council members approved an agreement with Flintco to oversee building the new $44 million city hall complex.

The $6.9 million the council paid Flintco this week will pay for its construction management services covering the entire project, plus pay for required performance bonds and insurance. About $1.3 million of that will be set aside for contingency purposes.

That payment also includes funds to pay for the demolitions. Andy Conyers, Edmond's assistant city manager for administration, told council members $500,000 had been budgeted, but said the actual cost was only $189,000.

"This is a project that has been years in the making," Conyers said. "We are off to a great start, as far as construction of these three buildings goes."

Edmond leaders authorize free utility services to spouses of fallen police, firefighters

Council members this week also authorized waiving city of Edmond utility charges for surviving spouses of Edmond police or firefighters killed in the line of duty.

The benefit will be extended to surviving spouses who live in Edmond and are served by either the community's electric or water resources departments.

"Police and fire employees who are residents of Edmond now know that if the ultimate sacrifice is made in the line of duty, their surviving spouse will never receive a utility bill from the city of Edmond for the rest of their lives,” said Councilman Tom Robins, who proposed creating the benefit after being elected earlier this year. "Edmond is the first city in the state and nation to provide such a benefit, and I hope many other cities will follow."

Edmond council members also recently approved policies for city employees that provide longer maternity/paternity leaves for new parents and paid time off for any who adopt or foster a child.

Monday's unanimous council vote came the same month Edmond's police department announced plans to build a fallen officers' memorial on its campus, about a year after police Sgt. C.J. Nelson was killed while on duty.

Leaders of unions representing the community's police and firefighters were appreciative.

"We are thankful the city council recognizes just how difficult our job is," said Edmond Detective Sgt. Chris Cook, president of Edmond's Fraternal Order of Police chapter.

Both he and fire Lt. Lindy Simpson, president of Edmond's International Association of Firefighters, also thanked the council for approving competitive negotiated agreements that make the community among the best in Oklahoma for public safety personnel to work for.

"We are humbled by their support," Lindy said.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: New parking, city hall and court building coming to downtown Edmond