Consultants: Williamsport can renovate historic City Hall or build new facilities; police station needs are urgent

Consultants contracted by the city presented a preliminary report on Feb. 20 that lays out options to renovate the historic City Hall building, move city offices into an alternate downtown building, or build new facilities east of downtown — and separately detailed three new‑site options for the police department.

Kelly Naylor, partner at BKV Group, told the City Council the study began with an assessment of the historic City Hall and a 10‑ and 20‑year space‑needs analysis for both city administration and the Williamsport Police Department. “The purpose of this when we were brought on was to initially really assess the historic City Hall building, see what condition it was in, and how we may be able to utilize it, for city hall,” Naylor said.

The report says the existing City Hall is larger than the city’s projected office needs (about 52,000 square feet in the building versus roughly 27,000 square feet needed for city functions over a 20‑year planning horizon). Consultant Craig Carter said the masonry, roof and some historic windows are in generally sound condition and “there’s nothing wrong with the existing building that can’t be overcome, through a remodeling project.” But consultants also advised that most mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems would require full replacement as part of any remodel.

On public‑safety needs, Paul Michel, who led the police portion of the study, summarized programmatic findings that drove a substantially larger footprint: the team estimated current police space needs at about 67,000 square feet and…