Village Hall 1st Floor Remodel - Designs

The City held an open house November 7 to share design details for planned hall renovations. See the designs.

 

Purpose

The proposed remodel would bring the Village Hall up to code with electrical, HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning), and would add an ADA-accessible bathroom. The plans also address issues with safety and egress for staff in the current office configuration.

 

Funding & Project Budget

To date, the City has $121, 072 in a reserve fund to pay project costs. An additional $25,000 is budgeted to move into that fund at the end of 2024, and $25,000 is earmarked for the project in 2025. Councilmember Lon Pardun is working to get preliminary estimates for the project budget. As soon as he has expected project costs, he will present these to the public – possibly as soon as mid-November.

 

Timeline

• August 13, 2015: Mayor Glen Mills told the Marine City Council that he would like to start thinking about remodeling the bathrooms and updating lighting in the Village Hall.

• August 2016: During 2017 budget talks, Council agreed to start saving money for the renovation project. Beginning in 2017, the item was listed in the annual budget as HLL – Village Hall Restoration under Replace/Capital Fund.

• Circa 2020: The assistant clerk noted concerns regarding emergency egress in her office, which were eventually integrated into discussions of a potential remodel.

• December 1, 2020: Council decided not to save $25,000 for the Village Hall in 2021, to minimize the tax levy during the pandemic. Pardun noted that the bathrooms still needed to be remodeled, and the Clerk’s offices were unsafe and needed to be upgraded.

• December 2, 2021: Council re-instituted saving for the Village Hall at $10,000 for 2022.

• December 1, 2022: Council set the 2023 budget with $25,000 in savings dedicated to the Village Hall remodel. This continued in the 2024 budget.

• June 13, 2024: Councilmember Pardun told the Marine City Council he had been in conversation with city staff and the Marine Restoration Society to explore reconfiguring the city office spaces and add an ADA bathroom. Council reached a consensus to begin working with a professional design firm on preliminary designs. At that time, the city had saved $120,548 (see the June Treasurer's Report; HLL-VILLAGE HALL in the left column) for the project, with another $25,000 in the 2024 budget. Since then, the reserve fund for this project has continued to accrue an average of $105 each month.

• August 8, 2024: Councilmember Pardun presented design bids from LHB and Collaborative Designs. Council accepted the proposal from LHB for design work in the amount of $47,000.

• August 22, 2024: Country Messenger publishes, “Marine’s village hall will receive significant renovations,” noting the project scope included reconfiguring the office space to create a clear and secure reception area, along with modifications to the public restrooms and kitchenette.

• October 12, 2024: Pardun reported that a meeting was scheduled with Restoration Society and the architect for October 22, and announced the November 7 open house to unveil the project plans. At that time, Pardun hoped to seek Council approval for the project at the November Council meeting.

• October 17: Open house date and time listed on City website.
  October 19 and November 2: Open house date and time noted on River Radio.

• November 7: Open house to present plans to residents.

• November-December: Updates to Council and potential project approval.

• February-May: Projected remodel timeline.