How bad are things at the Government Center? Sign up for a public tour

Mayor Teresa Tomlinson formed a commission at the beginning of the year to consider replacing the city’s 46-year-old Government Center.

Early in the process, commission members toured the complex, and now the public will get their turn.

The first public tour is scheduled for July 26 at 5:30 p.m. at the complex, located at 100 E. 10th St.

“During this tour, three-four floors will be open to the public to showcase some of the major issues involving the current structure,” according to minutes from a recent commission meeting. “It was noted that over 30 people have already expressed an interest in the tours.”

At the June 26 meeting, the commission heard from City Inspection and Codes Director John Hudginson, who presented a Need Assessment update on the non-judicial sections of the building.

“Mr. Hudginson’s presentation systematically evaluated each non-judicial department separately in order to help establish the proper square footage needed for the non-judicial function of the Government Center,” according to the minutes. “Mr. Hudginson stressed this assessment is based on perceived future need. A commission member noted that we do not want to have a building years from now that is too small on day one.”

So how much space would be necessary to house city administrative offices at a new Government Center?

According to Hudginson, the city would need roughly 75,504 square feet to accommodate departmental needs.

Renovating or replacing the building would cost anywhere from $68 million to $100 million, and the commission is still studying how the city will go about paying for it.

Last month, the city released a survey for public input. To participate, go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GovernmentCenter2017.

This story was originally published July 6, 2017 at 6:21 PM with the headline "How bad are things at the Government Center? Sign up for a public tour."