Broken Arrow council reviews design, costs and schedule for new Municipal Services Building

City staff presented updated designs and a revised cost estimate for a proposed Municipal Services Building at the northeast corner of Main Street and Washington and the council gave general direction to finalize schematic plans, officials said.

Charlie Bright, director of engineering and construction, told the council the project grew out of a department-led needs assessment and space study that produced a building program in the roughly 60,000–63,000 square-foot range. Bright said the team has worked through multiple schematic iterations and asked the council for general direction so the architect and construction team could finish final design work: "we're down closer to that 28 million to today based on this estimate," he said.

Shannon Marshall, special projects division manager, walked council members through the site plan and floor layouts. The design places the building on the corner to activate Main Street, with a primary public lobby and consolidated service windows for community development and utility billing. Marshall described a single-level main lobby with consult rooms, training and meeting spaces and a second-floor council chamber, noting the chambers would be cantilevered and the public seating capacity would increase to over 100 from about 70 in the existing facility.

On circulation, Marshall described two main vehicle access options and a shared entry with the adjacent Arrowhead Sports Complex and senior center annex. In the renderings staff showed 88 parking spaces distributed along Main Street and in back, but Marshall also said the team was "looking at over 200 spaces, over 250 spaces" as it weighs trade-offs with stormwater detention and pedestrian improvements. She told the council that the project is not proposing additional travel lanes on Washington.

Marshall also said the design team is exploring selective structural hardening for critical infrastructure such as server and data areas but is not proposing an ICC 500-rated storm shelter. Staff discussed options to increase the building footprint later; the project team estimated adding roughly 4,500 square feet via internal corridors or other expansion strategies, which they said could yield space for additional offices without disrupting daily operations.

Staff identified departments planned to move into the facility — including the tourism and economic development team and human resources — and said parks functions could relocate elsewhere (for example, Elam Community Center) depending on final decisions and previously approved 2026 general obligation bond planning. Bright said the design work is past schematic stage and staff have already made cuts to bring costs down from earlier estimates that exceeded $30 million.

Council members praised the design direction and transparency and asked staff to ensure accessible dais access in the new chambers and additional reservable meeting rooms for public use. Staff gave a target schedule for construction and occupancy discussions, noting an expectation of late summer to fall 2028 for occupancy, but acknowledged additional scheduling, furniture and fixture decisions remain.

The council gave general direction to proceed with finalizing the schematic design and continue coordination through the council subcommittee; no formal ordinance or budget appropriation was taken at the meeting. A motion to adjourn followed and the meeting moved to a roll-call close.