0
0
By Susannah Bryan, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
On April 12, a torrential rainstorm that set a new record for rainfall flooded Fort Lauderdale’s basement.
City Hall’s 1960s building has lost its power forcing employees to either work at home or rent a space.
Fuel-guzzling Generators to keep lights and AC running were brought in while FEMA and insurance adjusters assessed the damages.
The taxpayers are responsible for the high cost of keeping the building operational: around $1 million per month or $35,000 per day.
The commissioners have made it very clear that they are ready to demolish City Hall and cut their losses in order to build a brand new City Hall.
The cost of repairing the damages in the basement alone will be more than nine million dollars, learned the commissioners Tuesday, while they sat on the stage of The Parker Playhouse where the meetings were held after the flood closed City Hall.
Greg Chavarria, the City Manager of San Diego says that it will take millions to bring this eight-story structure up to code.
After hearing the story, Mayor Dean Trantalis was joined by all four of the commissioners in saying: “It’s time to take her down.”
Trantalis stated that the City Hall costs $1 million per month to run. This is a wastage of money. The time has come to move forward. “We need to knock down that building.”
Chavarria estimates that the demolition of the building would cost $700,000. Chavarria says that hauling all of the debris away will cost an additional $2.5 million.
Chavarria said to the South Florida Sun Sentinel that “we will try to unplug” by August 31. It costs us $35,000.00 a day just to run the building. Still moving out things. “We had to use a crane to remove a large printer system from the second-floor.”
Chavarria stated that the official vote of approval for demolition would come later.
Fort Lauderdale has two options after the demolition of the old building: either they can build a brand new City Hall on the exact same site or they can sell the property for $27,000,000 and find another location for City Hall. The final decision is up to the commissioners.
Susannah Bryan, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Fri. August 25, 2023, 7:30 AM GMT-3 Read for 6 minutes Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/TNS
A record-breaking rainfall flooded Fort Lauderdale’s basement on April 12.
City Hall’s 1960s building has lost its power forcing employees to either work at home or rent a space.
Fuel-guzzling Generators to keep lights and AC running were brought in while FEMA and insurance adjusters assessed the damages.
The taxpayers are responsible for the high cost of keeping the building operational: around $1 million per month or $35,000 per day.
The commissioners have made it very clear that they are ready to demolish City Hall and cut their losses in order to build a brand new City Hall.
The cost of repairing the damages in the basement alone will be more than nine million dollars, learned the commissioners Tuesday, while sitting at The Parker Playhouse where they have held meetings since the floods closed City Hall.
Greg Chavarria, the City Manager of San Diego says that it will take millions to bring this eight-story structure up to code.
After hearing the story, Mayor Dean Trantalis was joined by all four of the commissioners in saying: “It’s time to take her down.”
Trantalis stated that the City Hall costs $1 million per month to run. This is a wastage of money. The time has come to move forward. “We need to knock down that building.”
Chavarria estimates that the demolition of the building would cost $700,000. Chavarria says that hauling all of the debris away will cost an additional $2.5 million.
Chavarria said to the South Florida Sun Sentinel that “we will try to unplug” by August 31. It costs us $35,000.00 a day just to run the building. Still moving out things. “We had to use a crane to remove a large printer system from the second-floor.”
Chavarria stated that the official vote of approval for demolition would come later.
Fort Lauderdale has two options after the demolition of the old building. It can build a brand new City Hall on the exact same site or it can sell the property for $27million and find another location for City Hall.
The final decision is made by the commissioners.
First, the city wants to know what residents want in their future City Hall.
The People’s City Hall
The city’s Infrastructure Task Force was asked by the commissioners to organize a series workshops on Tuesday, in order to gather public feedback. The exact date of the workshops is not known, but it will be over five months.
The mayor stated that it was obvious we needed a new City Hall. The mayor said that the simplest solution is to build the building at the existing site. This would make it cheaper and more efficient. We want the public to be involved in this decision. It is the City Hall of the People. “We’re building a new City Hall to last the next hundred years.”
The Parker will soon be replaced by a new building located at 1, East Broward Blvd. not far from City Hall.
The commission approved on Tuesday night a sublease plan for a building located at 1 East Broward Boulevard, worth $7.4million. This will cover 64 months – just over 5 years. The public meetings will take place in the large meeting room located off of the lobby.
The new City Hall will not be built until years later.
How long? That’s anyone’s guess.
Trantalis stated, “I believe it will happen sooner than five-years.” I’m hoping for three years. “We want to make sure we do it the right way.”
Nobody knows the cost of a building. They need to first determine how many floor and how much room is needed.
The city doesn’t want to burden taxpayers with all the costs.
Mayor says that the city will be looking for alternative funding, such as FEMA grants, low-interest loans, and federal grants.
Do you want to stay or go?
Steve Glassman, the commissioner of construction at the site currently in use, says that he would prefer to build on this current location.
He said, “It’s cheaper on the land.” We have a parking garage, and the site is centrally located. The residents are used to going there. This makes complete sense. It’s not necessary to buy another website. We’ll move quicker because it eliminates several of the steps.
Glassman added that it’s important to plan for the future and to have enough room to house all City Hall departments in a single building.
He said, “I don’t think we will all be replaced soon by AI and robots.” I’m against a large number of remote workers.
Glassman is a historic preservationist who has been working for many years. He says that he’ll be sorry to lose the old building, but he understands this will allow the new City Hall to get underway.
He said, “I’m not sure how I feel about this building.” It doesn’t seem right to invest millions of dollars in an outdated building. The building will be missed. It’s a building that I have a strong feeling about because of its age. “Some people find it ugly but the architecture is significant for its time.”
John Herbst, the commissioner of city affairs says that this is a one-shot opportunity for the city to do it right. If that takes more time than you’d like, then so be it.
He said, “I don’t think I want to hurry the process.” This is a decision that we’ll live with for 50-100 years. We should take time to figure out how the City Hall of Fort Lauderdale will look in 50-100 years. “I need us to be more flexible and open-minded. We should try to anticipate the future rather than predict the past.”
Prepare for the Future
According to Herbst, it is far too soon to decide whether or not the building will remain on site.
Herbst stated, “I believe it is premature.” The task force’s goal is to determine what the future needs of our city will be. It’s important to me that we decide what type of City Hall is needed in the future. What will City Hall look like, and where should it be located?
Warren Sturman, the commissioner of Warren Sturman’s office, wants everyone to be creative.
He said that he didn’t know if there was a land developer willing to exchange with the city. He said that the developer might build right in downtown, and they could get a larger parcel of land to build upon.
Sturman, when asked Tuesday if the city hall was to be renovated or not, said that it was simple to answer no.
Sturman stated, “I estimate it would take over $50m to bring this building up to the code. And in the end you’d still be left with an old 1960s building.”
Sturman has no sentimental attachment to the building that was shuttered after the flood.
He said, “Oh my god, I hated this building.” It was my favorite building forty years ago. You’re playing Wheel of Fortune in the elevators. Sometimes they get stuck. It was a very old building. “I’m going to miss the building a lot.”
It is important to restore your property after damage has occurred. Natural disasters, neglect or wear-and-tear can affect the structural integrity of a building. If you are interested in our multiple service options, you can see more detail here. https://ncrestoration.ca/ House remodeling is comprehensive and provide solutions for rehabilitating your property.
It may include structural repairs, refinishings, historic restorations, or special techniques that restore the original functionality and beauty of a property. By engaging expert restoration services, you can ensure that the character and value of your property are maintained or enhanced. A well-executed renovation can bring back the charm and integrity of a property.
