City Hall to represent true essence of Edgerton
Line cost issues
The committee charged with designing Edgerton's new City Hall hopes the city can avoid paying more than $100,000 to move power, cable and phone lines.
The architect's original design for the building required moving the lines. Edgerton originally believed the utility companies would pay to move the lines, but Alliant Energy told city officials that it's the city's responsibility to pay.
Last week, the committee directed architect Steve Holzhauer to put the building in a different spot on the lot at Albion and Fulton streets so it doesn't conflict with the power lines.
The change will put the building farther back from the road, increasing the size of the small park planned in front of the building, Holzhauer said.
Photo
This preliminary drawing shows what the new Edgerton City Hall could look like. Construction could start in the spring.
EDGERTON — The architect working on the Edgerton City Hall project recently compared the city's residents to the Founding Fathers, who built the nation's capital when only a few hundred families lived there.
Edgerton also is building for the future by moving forward with the new City Hall despite a recession, said Steve Holzhauer of Eppstein Uhen Architects.
"(A City Hall) represents the people," he said. "It represents their pride in their town, their hope for the future."
Of course, no one expects the Edgerton building to look like the White House. But it could represent the city for the next 50 years or more, a fact design committee members keep in mind as they work, they said.
Edgerton's existing City Hall was built more than 100 years ago. The city installed wooden beams last winter to support the walls, which are deteriorating from water damage. City officials have said the building is inefficient and lacks space.
Jim Klein, a design committee member, went a step further.
"(The current building) is really an embarrassment to our community," he said.
In June, residents approved a referendum by 17 votes to spend up to $1.2 million on a new City Hall.
Since then, the ad-hoc design committee has met to help plan the new building. Many of the 13 committee members served on an earlier committee that recommended Edgerton go to referendum to build a new City Hall.
Klein and Larry MacKenzie were early supporters of the new City Hall, but they didn't have any idea what they wanted the building to look like at first, they said.
Holzhauer showed the committee 40 slides of buildings, ranging in style from classical to contemporary. He asked the committee to rank each image.
The committee liked the traditional buildings with strong details, such as masonry work and curves, Holzhauer said. It did not like modern buildings made of glass.
Members clearly wanted something to fit into the historic character of the downtown, he said.
"It won't be an old-looking building, but it will be a building that looks like it belongs and fits in with the historic neighborhood," Holzhauer said.
The exercise helped Klein and MacKenzie realize what they wanted for the building, they said.
"I wanted it to be inviting to people, so they would feel welcome to come to the building," Klein said.
Both said they're happy with the preliminary drawing and floor plan Holzhauer has created.
"It will be impressive, and yet I would say a very modest building," MacKenzie said.
The committee, architect and construction manager are far along on the design, Holzhauer said. Design work ideally should be done by the end of February so construction can start in May, he said.
A few major decisions remain, such as whether to include geothermal heating and a partial basement, MacKenzie said.
The process hasn't been entirely smooth. Under the original plan, the city would have to pay more than $100,000 to move power, phone and cable lines away from the proposed building site. The committee directed the architect last week to move the building to a different point on the lot so it doesn't interfere with the lines.
Meanwhile, the construction estimate is $104,000 over budget, though the construction manager, Steve Klaven, said the budget will be balanced when it's done.
MacKenzie is confident the city will get past the difficulties.
"There's always hurdles in a building project," he said. "You just get over it.
May 16, 2010 at 3:08 p.m.
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I say fill the downtown with bars they use up the parking anyhow, so those who want to shop locally have no place to park.
Dec 12, 2009 at 2:39 p.m.
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"The architect working on the Edgerton City Hall project recently compared the city's residents to the Founding Fathers"! What's he going to do next, tell them he'll always love them and ask to borrow their car for the weekend to go "golfing" with "The Tiger"?
The comments below present a great idea--rent space in the new commercial building, and support that development so it doesn't fold and blight. When(if?) things improve, you can always build a new edifice.
This is not the time to be spending money on constructing a new city hall, and I guaranty that by the time it's completed it will come in well over the cost estimates that have been provided!
Dec 12, 2009 at 1:07 p.m.
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They may as well used that monstrosity that has 1 business in it as city hall. Building that was a mistake,taking away parking spaces from an already limited parking area for downtown. The city government should be focusing on keeping existing business in place or giving some type of incentives to draw new business here. Get some variety in town, so people can shop here and don't have to travel outside to get what they want.
Dec 12, 2009 at 10:44 a.m.
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AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! Well said, can't fill what you already have and let's build another building. High taxes, empty buildings and you wonder why no one wants to set up shop, let alone when you do get a new business in, it is gone in a year because the locals won't patronize the business. They would rather go out of town, than to shop at the local businesses.
They should be working on getting some businesses in the town and how about filling those vacant manufacturing buildings!!
Dec 12, 2009 at 1:37 a.m.
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It certainly does represent the "true essence" of Edgerton. Mindless drones (aka taxpayers) who continue to allow city government to ladle themselves with a brand new office building when there is a three story empty building across the street and another city owned building 3 blocks to the north, and all at a cost of only 1.3 million dollars. Not like the local economy is bad or anything, but nevermind, when you're government, you get what you want regardless of how everyone else is doing. Yep, it certainly is the "true essence" of Edgerton.
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