Moving up: Kent City Hall taking shape

Months after the start of construction, Kent's new city hall is finally starting to take shape, including construction of a tower that will one day house an elevator.

More:Demolition begins on 98-year-old police station torn down for new Kent city hall

"The elevator is up," said Service Director Melanie Baker, directing council members to photos of a newly constructed concrete tower.

Baker said the project is starting to come together, although the end of construction is still more than a year away. She said the project is still being plagued by the delay of materials, but she has learned to take the delays in stride.

Baker outlined progress on waterproofing and construction of the atrium and retaining walls on the north side of the building. She said now that the building is being constructed, many observers have remarked on how small the site appears.

"It looks small, but we're able to get a lot done in a relatively small area," she said.

The city hall is being constructed at 319 S. Water St. at the corner of Water Street and Haymaker Parkway. In March, the city demolished the former police station on the site to make way for the new building. The previous city hall and associated offices were demolished to make way for the 345 Flats apartment complex about the time the police station was built, and city offices have been spread throughout the city ever since.

The city has been working to plan and design the building for six years. The design was nearing completion in 2019 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and the project had to be rebid because all bids were more than 10% higher than estimated, Baker has said.

The contract for $8.8 million was awarded to Thomarios in December 2021.

Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at 330-298-1139 or dsmith@recordpub.com.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: New Kent City Hall taking shape on South Water Street