Will FWB build a new City Hall or renovate existing one? Council weighing pros and cons

FORT WALTON BEACH — Two firms are teaming up to help city officials determine whether to renovate City Hall, replace it with a new one on-site or build a new facility elsewhere.

The City Council on June 28 approved paying $62,283 to Ajax Building Co. of Midway and Sam Marshall Architects of Pensacola to analyze those options.

Among other tasks, the firms will evaluate spacing needs and building size and make recommendations on the site and layout of a potential renovated or new City Hall.

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Potential sites for a new City Hall are the existing City Hall property at 107 Miracle Strip Parkway S.W., the city-owned Chester Pruitt Park off Hollywood Boulevard or the old Okaloosa County School District Administrative Complex property on Lowery Place.

“The goal is to provide the pros and cons of each site,” City Manager Michael Beedie said at last week’s meeting.

He added that the council will make the final decision on whether to renovate the existing City Hall or build a new facility.

The council also will have the final say on whether an auditorium would be included in the pending City Hall renovation or construction plans, according to city Public Works and Utility Services Director Daniel Payne.

The analysis by the two firms will be based on the following assumed project size and construction costs, not including site costs: A 28,000-square-foot City Hall costing an estimated $15.5 million and a 20,000-square-foot auditorium costing about $11 million.

The firms’ findings could be ready for the council’s consideration by about mid-October.

Several years ago after the first phase of a city facilities master plan project was completed, a representative of Sam Marshall Architects said construction of a two-story City Hall at an alternate site would be more feasible than renovating the existing one-story City Hall or replacing it at its current location.

The existing complex dates back to 1963 and consists of five buildings — City Hall, an annex, council chambers, the auditorium and a bathroom/mechanical room — that total 28,190 square feet.

The complex stands on about 9 acres that are in a flood zone hazard area and have been flooded in the past, according to the architectural firm. It also has reported that the buildings are plagued by leaky roofs and asbestos, are non-ADA compliant, have multiple code issues, are not suited for modern technology and lack adequate space for city staff and the public.

About 50 employees currently work at City Hall.

“Since my office (at City Hall) floods so frequently, I keep a snorkel in the lower right-hand drawer of my desk,” Mayor Dick Rynearson said half-jokingly at the June 28 council meeting.

The city’s 6.4-acre Chester Pruitt Park stands at 8 Harbeson Ave., just east of the city Police Department on Hollywood Boulevard. The park includes a baseball/softball field, a playground and restrooms.

The multi-parcel site of the long-closed county School District Administrative Complex covers about 8 acres at 120 Lowery Place, just west of Eglin Parkway between First and Second streets.

The oldest building at the complex is 87 years old. Most of the complex was closed in March 2017 after environmental hazards such as squirrel and raccoon infestations, mold and sewage backups were found. Most employees moved to other district buildings around the county.

The largest parcel of the School Board site covers about 6.8 acres and has a market value of more than $1.7 million, according to the latest information available from the Okaloosa County Property Appraiser’s Office.

Sam Marshall Architects designed and Ajax built Fort Walton Beach’s new field office complex that opened in December 2019 at 7 Hollywood Blvd. N.W. on the city’s former Jet Stadium site.

Previously, multiple city departments such as utilities, solid waste and fleet services had operated in old, unsafe buildings scattered around town.

The city borrowed a little more than $12.5 million to pay for the 48,493-square-foot field office complex and related upgrades.

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Fort Walton Beach either building new City Hall or renovating building