The proposal to build a new city hall has been a hot topic around town this year. Social media—particularly NextDoor—have been roiling with conversations about whether we should proceed.
The City Manager says that the police need more space—an assertion that no one is rebutting. His timing is unfortunate, in that the city employees are moving to a 4-day/32-hour work week, with half of that time spent working from home. This has led many citizens to ask, "Can't the police use some of the space that the other employees are vacating?"
The City Manager also says he prefers to have his staff all in one building, instead of spread between the current city hall, annex, and public works buildings. This has led citizens to ask, "How will you manage all those people working at home?"
The City's announcements about tonight's tour say these changes will "make the Clear Creek Corridor more useable and desirable for residents" Citizens are concerned that more parkland will attract more visitors--making the corridor anything but usable and desirable for residents.
The citizens (taxpayers) are also concerned about the cost of the project. The new city hall/police building is estimated at $60 million—quite an undertaking for a town of 20,0000. But that's only the beginning. The longer-range plan includes:
1 Building a new parking garage across from the new city hall
2 Demolishing the current city hall
3 Landscaping that space to serve as parkland
4 Building a new history museum
5 Demolishing the old history museum and landscaping that space
6 Redesigning the original parts of Lions Park
Some residents are preemptively saying "No way!" Others are saying, "if that's what you think is best—we elected Council to make these decisions." Many are saying "maybe...explain why we need it, and let us vote on it—don't make such an expensive commitment without asking us."
I have been hoping that the City would make its case to the residents, explaining why they want to build a new city hall, and why it's a good idea. Tonight is the opening salvo in a campaign to convince Golden residents that they too should want a new city hall. I intend to go, and listen with great attention.
