Four options for future of Government Center include new building on another site

While renovations continue in the 47-year-old Government Center seven months after flood damage, Columbus Council was presented four options that include relocating the building to a new site during a Tuesday work session.

Deputy City Manager Pam Hodge said Hecht Burdeshaw Architects will team up with 2WR in a partnership to assess the four options in a contract to be presented to council in two weeks. The assessment also will include Newt Aaron of Aaron and Clements, a Columbus-based construction management firm, as well as judicial consultants.

The four options presented include:

• A complete demolition of the wings and garage. A new judicial center on the existing site and complete renovation of the tower for administration and a new parking garage.
  
  
• The second option is a complete demolition of the tower, wings and garage on the existing site with a new judicial center, new administration building and new parking garage. It would be starting over from scratch on the existing site.
  
  
• The third option includes complete demolition of two wings and the garage. A new judicial center with fewer floors, new garage and administration building will be constructed on a site to be determined. This study does not include reviewing options for a new site but it would be a site in another location, Hodge said. It would include graded parking on the site with no parking garage.
  
  
• The fourth option would move the new building to a new site. It would include a new judicial center and administration building as determined by capacity.
  
  

When asked where would a new site be located, City Manager Isaiah Hugley said the location could be property the city already owns and any site option the city could consider.

With the east and west wings noted in the options, Councilor Charmaine Crabb asked if the city faced the same problems in the wings as the Government Center tower that flooded at 100 10th St. in June. The 10th and 11th floors were heavily damaged.

Hugley said the same infrastructure supports the wings on two stories each. The city faces problems with air conditioning, the impact of old elevators and all the systems.

Mayor Berry “Skip” Henderson said the session was aimed at giving council as much information as possible. Moving to a new site could open the door to other benefits . “This piece of property would be an attractive piece of property,” he said.

The architects will next gather cost estimates on the project that could top more than $100 million.

“The idea is to get numbers with each one of these options,” the mayor said. “We get down to the weeds. If it is off site, where. What would be the total cost versus re-purposing?”

Hodge said some offices have relocated in the tower and the city is moving forward with restoration. The city is also moving forward with the stairwell pressurization of the fire alarm system as well as looking at options on the sprinkler system. Restoration is still on track to be completed in February.

This story was originally published January 29, 2019 at 7:21 PM.