SPRINGFIELD – In a Springfield City Council meeting on Oct. 13, Mike Espinoza, city facilities supervisor, told the council that out of the 64 HVAC units on City Hall’s roof, only 10 of them are fully operational.
Springfield City Hall, at 225 5th St., was built in 1972 as a shopping mall. In 1980, it was renovated for use as City Hall. The HVAC system and ductwork from the building’s time as a shopping center remain the ones in use today.
An internal audit last summer – done in preparation for a potential Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) audit – revealed several code deficiencies and identified safety issues, said Jeff Paschall, community development director.
Espinoza and Paschall presented a potential deferred-maintenance and department-consolidation project to address issues in the building and ensure City Hall’s long-term viability.
“It’s become clear, that a simple remodel won’t really address the deeper issues to keep City Hall functioning by not addressing these aging systems and code deficiencies,” Paschall said.
The duo said that, with the work of an architect consultant, they would be able to get the laundry list of renovations done for less than $12 million. There are two options for financing the project.
“We have a rainy day reserve that has six-plus million, I believe, available. So with that and looking at other funds and how to divvy this up, we feel we could cover the cost of this project and minimize borrowing and reduce reserve flexibility,” Paschall said. “The other option is financing the project.”
Mayor Sean VanGordon asked if they could replace the HVAC system without other construction; however, reconfiguration of City Hall is needed to accomodate the new HVAC system.
The next step would be for the City Council to choose a financing option.
