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 projected about 77,000 square feet for a 20‑year planning horizon to accommodate patrol growth, records specialists, analysts and training space. Michel said much of that growth is driven by additional patrol staffing and space for fleet, lockers and training. He cautioned the 20‑year projection is a planning guideline rather than a prescriptive requirement.

Cost estimates in the draft report compare development scenarios. The consultants presented a range of planning‑level totals (all stated in 2024 dollars): combined projects using the least‑expensive options for City Hall and police would total about $66.3 million; a combined new city hall and new police facility was estimated near $64.1 million; other combinations and staying in the historic City Hall produced higher totals up to about $82.8 million, the consultants said. Carter stressed the estimates are for apples‑to‑apples comparisons and will change with design decisions, market conditions, labor and material choices.

Consultants flagged trade‑offs for each approach: renovating City Hall preserves a downtown, historic seat of government and could begin quickly because the city already owns the site, but the building is larger than required, has corridor inefficiencies and presents parking and accessibility challenges. Converting an existing downtown office (the Chamber of Commerce building was studied) would keep government functions downtown but may feel cramped and has limited parking. Building on a larger parcel east of downtown gives design flexibility, more staff/public parking and lower long‑term maintenance costs, but removes City Hall from the historic core.

On the police side, the team examined three sites (two parcels near downtown and the existing patrol site). Smaller parcels would force enclosed below‑grade fleet parking and provide little room for future expansion; a larger east‑of‑downtown parcel would allow better stacking of shared spaces but would place public‑safety facilities outside the downtown core. The consultants said one near‑term finding was “something really does need to happen for the police department” given operational inefficiencies caused by splitting functions across several buildings.

City council members and members of the public pressed for fiscal realism and prioritization. Councilman Mackey asked whether the consultants considered the city’s fiscal capacity; consultants replied the study’s role was to establish an optimal program and to surface trade‑offs, while funding analysis is a recommended next step. Councilman Pulizzi and others requested a final report that lists municipal staff interviewed, refines police program options that reflect current split‑site conditions, and provides narrower cost permutations tied to specific scope reductions.

Public commenters urged preservation of the historic City Hall, noted the building’s downtown location supports walkability and economic activity, and asked the council to pursue options that balance historic preservation with affordability. A number of residents and local realtors recommended the city fully explore adaptive reuse of excess City Hall square footage to offset costs if the city retains the building.

Next steps described in the meeting: consultants will finalize the report, incorporate council feedback (including a list of staff interviews and refined police program alternatives), and supply a more detailed cost breakdown and timeline. Council and staff agreed further financial analysis — including debt capacity, grant opportunities (USDA, FEMA and other federal programs were discussed), historic tax‑credit potential and the implications of any bond or tax option — should follow the final program decisions. No formal decisions or votes were taken at the Feb. 20 work session.

The presentation and public comment left the council with two practical paths to analyze further: pursue a downtown renovation or adaptive reuse of the existing historic City Hall, or pursue new construction (stand‑alone or combined city hall/police campus) on a larger parcel east of downtown. The consultants recommended the city conduct additional site due diligence on any parcel the council prefers and urged the city to estimate taxpayer impacts before committing to a funding strategy.

What’s next: BKV Group expects to deliver a final, revised report with the requested clarifications within a few weeks and to meet with city staff and council members to prioritize program elements for a financial plan. The consultants, the administration and council members agreed the police facility issue has operational urgency and will require parallel financial planning if council pursues a capital program.