Meridian council reviews city hall space‑planning study; staff to bid fire and IT remodels, propose temporary council move

City staff presented the results of a long‑awaited space‑planning study for Meridian City Hall on Aug. 19 and asked council for direction on near‑term tenant improvements, bidding, and staging. The report recommends a phased approach to remodels across departments and showed cost and schedule estimates for immediate projects including fire, information technology and the mayor’s office.

The study was prepared after the FY25 budget set aside funding for planning and potential tenant improvements. “We spent much less than that,” City staff member Lorelei said of the planning budget, noting the city had set aside $100,000 for the study and had about $300,000 allocated for initial remodel work. She said the firm LCA provided architectural services and is available to answer technical questions.

The plan identifies the left side of the building as having current space constraints and recommends a phased sequence that avoids redoing near‑term improvements when future full build‑out occurs. The presentation included a fully conceived build‑out option that could house roughly 110–118 additional employees but stressed that the full build‑out is conceptual…