Whatever Government Center's fate, it will be in the hands of taxpaying Columbus voters

The Columbus Government Center has, in the words of the Historic Columbus Foundation, “become an iconic image for Columbus and that has value.” It has, and it does.

The 46-year-old structure has also become, for many people who work or have business there, physically miserable — and worse, frighteningly unsafe. The main tower’s large uninsulated windows can make for cold indoor temperatures in one part of the building and suffocatingly hot ones in another, in winter or summer. As chronicled by Tim Chitwood in a detailed report this past weekend, such discomfort has on at least one occasion become a health issue.

A far more serious problem, of course, is the fire hazard posed by the building’s age and design, a danger spelled out in graphic detail with the presentation last week of a report by Mayor Teresa Tomlinson’s “New Government and Judicial Building Commission.”

There are no sprinkler systems on upper floors. The stairwells are narrow and not pressurized, which means smoke would rise through them, according to Fire Marshal Ricky Shores, like “a chimney of sorts.” Firefighters could not haul equipment up the stairs past people fleeing the other way: “It would be chaos, to say the least.”

The fire department can’t reach the tower’s upper floors, and the windows don’t open. The Government Center stairwells are in the center of the tower and all empty into the lobby rather than to exits — a potentially catastrophic scenario.

The holding cells for prisoners awaiting courts are crowded and sometimes unsafe, and they are not on the courtroom floors.

The options, besides staying with the above-described status quo, are limited, and all are expensive.

The commission’s conclusion is that the Government Center is unsafe and should be replaced.

Moving the city’s seat of government to another location would be a break with almost two centuries of local history: As HCF wrote in its report on the issue, “From the earliest map of Columbus in 1828, the new city’s courthouse is located on the current block.”

Staying on the block, bordered by First and Second Avenues and Ninth and 10th Streets, the commission concluded, would involve variations on two main options — either upgrading or completely replacing the current Government Center. Renovating the entire existing complex — tower and wings — would cost almost $110 million; renovating just the tower and replacing the wings with a new office complex about $114 million; and razing the entire Government Center and building a new courthouse and new city office building, about $124 million.

Whatever option the city opts for, of course, the decision would be in the hands of Columbus voters, who would be asked to replace a school sales tax that will expire in 2020. And in any case, nothing’s going to happen any time soon; as noted in Chitwood’s report, Columbus Council took no action on the commission’s report after it was presented at Tuesday’s meeting. There’s a lot to talk about.

This story was originally published December 20, 2017 at 5:17 PM with the headline "Whatever Government Center's fate, it will be in the hands of taxpaying Columbus voters."