Des Peres Board Considers Big Changes, New City Hall
Date Posted: November 1, 2022
Posted In: News, Projects,
From Webster-Kirkwood Times: Big changes may be in store for the Des Peres City Hall, Public Safety Building and the Public Works Street Maintenance Garage.
The Des Peres Board of Aldermen on Monday night approved two resolutions that could start the process.
The first resolution appoints Navigate Building Solutions as a consultant for the Street Maintenance Garage project at cost not to exceed $66,785 through the design and bidding. The board then introduced a bill hiring The Farnsworth Group as architect for improvements and renovations to the Street Garage for $197,900 with a total project budget of $2.4 million.
The second resolution approves hiring Navigate Building Solutions at a cost of $11,000 to analyze up to three options for constructing a new city hall as an alternative to renovation and improvements of the government center. The three potential locations to be studied are:
- Within Des Peres Park, along the Manchester Road frontage at the southwestern corner of the park adjoining Manchester Road.
- The northern 0.85-acre section adjoining Manchester Road at the Lodge at Des Peres parking lot.
- The vacant 4-acre property south of The Lodge at the southwest corner of Des Peres Road and Old Des Peres Road intersection.
City Administrator Doug Harms said the board started looking at long-term needs for city hall in 2019, but was sidetracked by the pandemic.
“Then COVID hit and we decided not to take on any new projects until we could figure out what COVID did to our budget,” he said. “Last spring, we decided to move forward with this project. During the discussion, we started talking about the street garage and public safety buildings.”