Commission briefed on design-phase contract for City Hall Annex renovation; commissioners raise long-term city hall concerns

City staff asked the Winter Haven City Commission to approve a design-phase guaranteed maximum price (GMP) not to exceed $355,930 for a design-build contract with Whitehead Construction to renovate the City Hall Annex (the former fire station) into expanded building-division administrative offices.

Staff said Whitehead was selected through RFQ 2438 in August 2024 and that the submitted GMP covers the design and permitting work only; a later addendum will present construction costs after design is complete. The city has $7 million set aside in a construction fund for building-division capital improvements; staff said that amount was appropriated in compliance with state statutes that govern how building-division revenues may be used. The presenter told commissioners the design work will produce a facility intended to be professional office space and to improve proximity between engineering and building-division customer service points.

Several commissioners voiced concern that investing in significant renovations to multiple existing buildings could complicate any future plan to build a single, new city-hall complex. One commissioner said the prospect of spending millions on renovations gave him “pause for concern” because extensive renovations to multiple properties could make it harder to later replace them with a single new facility. City staff responded that the work now will retain value in the site and that the city is also exploring satellite offices in growing parts of the city as part of a longer-term campus plan. The city attorney said a draft design-build contract and template will be uploaded with future agenda materials; staff said that addendum and the construction-phase GMP will be presented when ready.

The transcript records the presentation and discussion but does not include a recorded vote or final approval in the provided excerpt.