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According to the study, the administrative offices and police department, both of which are now housed in the Municipal Building on East High Street, needed as much as three times the current space they currently have.
City administrative offices needed 16,215 square feet of space, more than double the 7,800 square feet being used now, and the police department was determined to need 18,255 square feet, nearly triple the 6,500 square feet it currently uses, according to the study.
The current Municipal Building has a total of 14,310 square feet, while the library building has 16,112, City Manager Doug Elliott said.
“When the former Lane Library building became available, we looked at how it could meet our needs and purchased the building.” Elliott said. “We looked at who should go to the library and decided the police would be (in the current Municipal Building).”
City Council heard a report on the proposed remodeling at a work session prior to their Feb. 21 meeting and were told they hope to be able to advertise for bids soon.
“It will be like night and day for them,” Elliott said of the changes for city staff and the police department.
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The city has been budgeting money for several years for the project so that it can be done with money already in the Municipal Facilities Capital Improvement Fund and without new debt, according to Elliott.
Cost is estimated at $5.5 million total — about $2.6 million for the renovation of the former Lane Library building and $2.9 million for conversion of the current city building to use by the police department.
Asked about constructing a completely new building, Elliott said it was determined that would be too expensive, especially with the goal of remaining in the Uptown area.
“This is two exciting projects from the space needs study in 2005 and we are finally addressing our space needs,” he said. “Developing this for the police here and moving city hall to Lane Library is meeting nearly 100 percent of our space needs.”
Renovations to the Municipal Building for use by the police division include a main floor public area, administrative offices on the second floor and a conference room.
Plans also call for a training room and a laundry room for officers to use in the event it is needed.
Also to be added to the facility is a “Sally Port,” which will allow police cruisers to drive into a secure vehicle area for transfer of prisoners.
The police holding cells in the current facility will remain in use.
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Police space needs were reduced somewhat last year when dispatching was transferred to the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, eliminating the need for local space for that function.
The former library building will remain in its current footprint with several additional windows and a skylight added to allow more natural light and an open feel, according to Elliott.
The city expects work to start this spring, first on the library building in hopes city staff will move in by the end of the year. Work will then begin on the conversion of the current Municipal Building for police use. That project is expected to be finished in 2018.
Service Director Mike Dreisbach will serve as project manager and will work with CR Architecture and Design in Cincinnati on the two-part project.
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