Monroe awards $48,000 contract for city hall space-needs analysis to Creech and Associates

Monroe City Council voted May 13 to award a contract to Creech and Associates, not to exceed $48,000, for a space needs analysis and facility master plan for city hall.

Ryan Jones of property management told council the study will analyze current utilization, project staff-growth needs in five-year increments for 20 years, and produce both renovation concepts for existing city hall and conceptual site master plans for a potential new city hall. Jones said the work will include staff interviews, updated floor plans, two site options, two interior layout concepts and cost estimates for renovation and new construction. The firm previously conducted a 2011/2012 space-needs analysis for the city and received top evaluation scores in the recent RFQ process.

Jones recommended that the advisory committee overseeing the study be an expanded role of the administrative staff economic development committee, and he said the process will include four advisory meetings and a roughly four-month schedule from kick-off to final report. The recommended contract amount is not to exceed $48,000; Jones asked council to authorize the city manager to execute any necessary documents.

A councilmember moved and seconded the contract award; the chair called for a vote and the motion carried. The transcript does not record a roll-call tally. Council discussion included questions about how long Fire Administration can remain in its current leased space (Jones said about three more years before lease payments would resume) and clarification that the study will address both renovation and new-build scenarios.

The contract award authorizes staff to begin the kickoff process, interview department heads and develop a program and cost estimates that the advisory committee and council will later review before deciding renovation or replacement paths.