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Resident urges council to delay restoration of 1500 West Galbraith after engineering assessment
Summary
A resident asked North College Hill City Council on May 19 not to proceed with a restoration agreement with RWB Construction for the city center at 1500 West Galbraith Road, citing a December 2023 Burgess & Niple assessment that recommended considering relocation due to asbestos, mold and HVAC issues.
At the May 19 city council meeting, resident Kathy Cureton urged members not to approve any agreement with RWB Construction to restore the city administration building at 1500 West Galbraith Road until the council provides fuller cost and feasibility information. Cureton read findings she said were prepared for the city by engineering firm Burgess & Niple in December 2023.
Cureton quoted the Burgess & Niple summary: "It is our assessment that the building is in need of repairs, renovation, and an aesthetic overhaul. So much so, we are advising the city to consider a new site for city administration offices during the asbestos and mold abatement caused in terms of reconstruction and renovating the HVAC system to make the building safer from environmental exposure. Moreover, our opinion is that the city should consider a new facility and not invest additional measures in an older structure that will only deteriorate more in the short term."
Cureton asked council to delay executing any agreements with RWB Construction and to provide answers to three items she listed in a written objection: (1) a licensed contractor and architect estimate of the total cost to restore the building; (2) a licensed professional estimate of the total cost to demolish the building; and (3) an estimated sale value if the site were sold.
Mayor Mary Nichols and administration staff responded that Burgess & Niple's input had been one of multiple opinions collected. City Administrator Dukstein said the administration had sought additional professional assessments to balance the information and that prior administration decisions to move staff from the building were partly based on earlier findings; she offered to forward the previously distributed reports to council members. Dukstein confirmed the administration had solicited multiple professional opinions, including local architects, and said those opinions influenced the city's earlier decision to close and relocate staff from the building.
No formal legislation or vote on the RWB Construction agreement was held at the meeting; Cureton urged a pause and more detailed cost comparisons before council authorizes contracting. Council members asked administration to ensure the committee and council have access to the existing reports and to clarify the estimates Cureton requested before any binding agreement is executed.
