Staff recommend City Hall move to Legacy Church, library to Town Square as part of facilities master plan update

City staff and BCRA consultants presented an updated facilities master plan to the Liberty Lake City Council on June 3 that lays out two multi-year options to address shortfalls in city administrative, library and public-safety space.

The staff-preferred option would place City Hall functions in the recently acquired Legacy Church building, construct a new library at Town Square and expand the police department into the library’s current footprint. The city would reassign parks and related operations into portions of the existing city hall building.

Why it matters: staff and the consultants say Liberty Lake faces a roughly 21,000-square-foot shortfall across City Hall, police, public works and library space as the city grows. The options shown at the meeting differ in cost and phasing: the BCRA estimate for the option that relocates City Hall to Legacy and places a new library in Town Square was presented as roughly $28.7 million in total project costs; a lower-cost sequence that reconfigures existing buildings and adds a smaller police facility was presented at about $18.3 million. Council members pressed staff for clearer cost‑to‑value information on the Legacy Church building before committing to any major renovation plan.

Consultants and staff stressed this is an update and not a request for an immediate decision. “We’re not asking for council to make a decision, tonight,” city staff said, noting the intent to return with more detailed options in July and a final presentation later in the summer. BCRA noted that the proposed sequences are phasable and that the timing of each step can be adjusted to match the city’s budget and priorities.

Police needs and staffing: Police Chief Simmons, participating online, described operational drivers behind the expansion. “We will need approximately 40 to 45 officers, 5 to 8 support staff,” he said, and identified training space, secure records and evidence storage, and officer parking as pressing deficiencies. Chief Simmons said the department currently averages about 350 square feet per person and expects to move toward 2.18 officers per thousand residents under growth assumptions (the department currently has about 1.79 officers per thousand and cited the national average near 2.4 per thousand). He also noted potential future co‑location opportunities with state agencies or community‑corrections staff.

Council discussion focused on the Legacy Church appraisal and timing. Several council members expressed surprise that the latest appraisal showed little value growth compared with the city’s purchase price and requested a clearer independent valuation of how much renovation would add long‑term asset value. Mayor Pro Tem Cargill said staff should return with a valuation that separates permanent building improvements from interior fixtures and one‑time costs.

Near‑term steps: Council asked staff to return to the next meeting with a proposed work order to begin the design/feasibility steps on the preferred path. City staff said a full renovation of Legacy for City Hall would require design and construction and could take roughly two years from authorization to occupancy, depending on scope. Staff emphasized that City Hall capacity is the most immediate and acute space need.

Next actions: staff committed to bring detailed site‑specific cost breakdowns, the appraisal reports already provided to council, and additional sequencing scenarios at the July 15 meeting, and a fuller package on options and financing later in the summer.

Ending: Council members signaled they want more precise appraisal and cost‑benefit data before approving construction or committing to a permanent change of use for Legacy Church; staff will return with a work‑order proposal to advance design and cost refinement.