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East Lansing council directs staff to solicit architect/engineer proposals for City Hall options
Summary
Council members asked the city manager to solicit proposals for an architect/engineer study to evaluate City Hall accessibility, code and space issues and to outline costs for renovation, expansion, relocation or new construction.
City Manager Ivan Beilman asked the East Lansing City Council on Jan. 14 for direction to solicit proposals from architectural and engineering firms to evaluate City Hall for accessibility, ADA compliance, deferred maintenance and inadequate space for elections and public meetings.
Beilman described specific building problems: roof and boiler repairs, restroom and elevator evaluation, single-pane windows that reduce energy efficiency and a lack of natural light and temperature control that has led to space heaters in offices. “Part of that would also to evaluate costs associated with those solutions identified, which includes renovations, renovation expansion, relocation, or new construction,” Beilman told the council.
Council members broadly supported bringing a formal proposal to a future business meeting. Several members asked staff to include historical staffing levels and building-history context as part of the assessment; one council member asked staff to document employee counts at various points since the building’s construction to help evaluate space needs over time.
Council members sought clarification about process and cost. Beilman said issuing a request for proposals (RFP) is staff work and that the proposals the city receives will identify costs and timelines for the council to evaluate. When asked whether he could solicit proposals now, Beilman asked for clarity; the council provided it: “If it’s within your authority, Mr. Beilman, I guess you can go ahead and do it,” a council member said, and council members agreed they expected any contract or budget request resulting from proposals to return to the council for approval.
The council referenced a January 2019 facility assessment by Mayotte Group and asked that any new scope distinguish the current engagement from that prior report. No formal contract or appropriation was approved at the Jan. 14 discussion-only meeting. The city manager will solicit proposals so that the council can review expected costs and timelines at a future business meeting before deciding on a renovation, expansion or relocation path.
