Hastings City Hall exterior rendering, (City of Hastings, Courtesy)
HASTINGS — Members of the Hastings City Council voted 8-0 during their regular meeting on Monday, Aug. 26 to approve a bid in the amount of $7,092,000 from Genesis Contracting Group of Lincoln to renovate the Hastings City Hall building at 220 N. Hastings Ave.
The bid from Genesis was the lowest among five bids the city received for the project and recommended for approval by project architect CMBA Architects of Grand Island.
The estimate from CMBA for this contract was $7 million. The project is a complete renovation of the interior and exterior of the building.
The City Hall renovation project is shown in the 2023-2024 City Budget under the Bond Anticipation Notes fund for $2.5 million with a projected spend of $1.18 million by the end of the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2024. The proposed 2024-2025 city budget includes $7.585 million under the BANS fund.
In addition to the renovation, the 2024-2025 budget amount includes architectural/engineering fees, audio/visual equipment for the council chambers, security cameras/door badging, and furniture.
Council members voted 8-0 on Sept. 25, 2023 to approve a motion to renovate the 22,000-square-foot City Hall rather than demolish the existing building and build new. The project includes expansion of the council chambers and leaving the basement unfinished.
According to preliminary budget estimates from CMBA from Aug. 7, 2023, a new a single-story 17,000-square-foot building would cost $9.09 million and a renovation of the existing building would be $8.23 million.
The City of Hastings held an open house on March 4, 2024, and online survey through the engagement platform EngageHastings, to give residents the chance to vote on two exterior options and four options for the appearance of council chambers.
Based on 112 votes between the two voting platforms, council members voted 8-0 during their meeting on March 11 to approve exterior design option No. 1 and interior options the darker wood and darker backdrop.
Genesis will be starting on the project in the middle of September.
O’Neill Transportation & Equipment of Grand Island began interior demolition of the City Hall building at 220 N. Hastings Ave., on Tuesday, Aug. 13.
The interior demolition is scheduled to be completed no later than Oct. 1. Genesis could begin physical work once interior demolition is complete with an anticipated completion date of Dec. 31, 2025.
“I want to thank Mayor Stutte, City Council, residents, staff, and our many community partners for all their hard work and input leading us to this point in time,” City Administrator Shawn Metcalf said. “Throughout this process we heard from residents via the City Hall committee, surveys, online engagement, many community meetings, and an open house. I want to commend Mayor Stutte and City Council for their willingness to work through difficult issues, make compromises, and for coming together with their 8-0 vote to renovate and their 8-0 vote to move forward with the recommended contractor.
“City Hall is a reflection of the rest of the city which is why I am thrilled to see the building turn into something that the entire community will be proud of.”
Full details of the renovations and bid plans can be found through the City Hall project on EngageHastings at engage.cityofhastings.org/city-hall.
