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Staff recommends rethinking Market Square garage: replace rather than patch to avoid repeated outages, explore geothermal and parking efficiencies
Summary
Facilities staff told council the Market Square garage and City Hall are at the end of useful life, recommended exploring full replacement (with options for geothermal and parking efficiencies) and promised cost‑benefit and net‑present‑value comparisons to show long‑term savings versus phased repairs.
Facilities staff told council that City Hall and the adjacent Market Square garage have recurring major service outages and structural deterioration that make full replacement an option worthy of study rather than repeated short‑term repairs.
"We're really at the end of life," the facilities presenter said, describing escalating maintenance events and safety concerns in the garage and building. Staff said piecemeal repairs could buy 20 years, while a full replacement could deliver a 50–60 year lifespan and opportunities for geothermal systems and other long‑term efficiencies.
Council members asked about parking capacity, an internal connection to City Hall and whether replacement would increase or decrease employee parking. Staff said concept work is early but that column and layout efficiencies might allow modest gains without deep excavation; they committed to returning with comparative cost analyses including net‑present‑value projections and lifecycle cost trade‑offs.
The presentation framed the request as part of a broader set of CIP drivers and noted staff has begun community engagement (Series 4) and will post materials for public feedback. Council asked for side‑by‑side comparisons that quantify the savings of doing the full replacement now versus deferring work.
