City council hears plan to overhaul nearly 50-year-old municipal building; no votes taken

Director Vicky Nemechek, Public Works, told the city council during a Jan. 30, 2026 work session that the municipal building — built nearly 50 years ago — needs a major renovation to address failing systems and accessibility problems. "We've basically just put lipstick on the pig," she said, summarizing deferred maintenance that has accumulated since the building was constructed.

Nemechek outlined several operational failures driving the project. She said HVAC system imbalances leave some offices near 80 degrees while adjacent rooms are about 59 degrees, and that one elevator has been out of service "for nearly a month," with parts no longer manufactured: "They don't make the parts we need anymore." She also recounted a power outage last year that could not be fully remedied because the building lacked sufficient switchgear and electrical capacity, and said recent designs for new restrooms showed the building cannot support hand dryers given the current electrical load.

The director said plumbing connectors and rubber couplers are failing in hard-to-reach…