The least expensive of three options for a new Punta Gorda City Hall building would cost the city nearly $16 million. With that in mind, City Council on Jan. 15 chose to solicit estimates for repairing and rehabbing the 1927 building and its attached 1978 addition that were damaged during Hurricane Ian.

Prior to the hurricane in September 2022 causing City Hall’s closure, the previous City Council, including three incumbents who were unseated in the Nov. 5 election, planned to build a new City Hall on its current site at 326 W. Marion Ave.

The historic and original City Hall would have undergone renovations, and the addition portion would have been rebuilt and expanded.

Over the last several years, cost estimates for a new building continued to skyrocket. The former City Council favored the highest-priced of three options presented at a cost of $19,163,112. That option included a third level above the addition.

Chris-Tel, the construction manager at risk hired to oversee the project, met with the architect and city staff to seek additional measures to reduce costs, Procurement Manager Anne Heinen told Council. She said if the third level was removed from the plans, the rebuild would cost $18,013,637, and that $15,128,459 was available in city funds.

If Council opted for Option 1, which was the least expensive, it would cost $15,848,180 and take five to six months for a redesign and putting the project out to bid. Council members balked at that price tag,

Council member Greg Julian said Council should be identifying what needs to be fixed and repaired, while council member Janis Denton asked for the price of rehabbing City Hall and said she was told “the old figures were around $5 million.”

Denton, like other council members, toured the building and said, “some parts are bad,” while others are in better shape.

Council member Jeannine Polk said when she toured the building and saw its condition, she advised anyone touring it to wear a hard hat.

Mayor Debi Lux said a new roof should have been put on the building after Hurricane Ian, as rain from subsequent storms and hurricanes caused additional water intrusion.

Lux said the portion of the building built in 1978 should be used as a meeting place and asked Heinen to have city staff have the addition “up and running for us.”

Council member Melissa Lockhart, who was elected in 2021, said, “Whatever we do, we can’t go this long again.”

Lockhart said in 2020 and 2021, the cost of rehabilitating the building was $5 million to $6 million.

Until recently, Council and its various boards and committees have been meeting at the Military Heritage Museum on Marion Avenue, but the elevators have not been in service, making it noncompliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The last few meetings took place at Punta Gorda Charlotte Library and the Punta Gorda Civic Association.

Former Punta Gorda Vice Mayor
Harvey Goldberg, a member of the city’s Planning and Zoning Board, told Council he was unable to attend a recent board meeting due to the elevators being out of service.

The city will be seeking a rental reduction for the time it has been unable to use the museum, City Manager Melissa Reichert said.

The city’s lease with the Military Heritage Museum ends June 30, and the city is considering renewing the lease or looking elsewhere, such as Burnt Store Presbyterian Church on Burnt Store Road.

“We can’t have the process go another six to seven years,” Lockhart said, referring to the wait for the city’s permanent meeting venue.

Meanwhile, the city will be holding a workshop and is seeking input from members of the public who are invited to tour City Hall on Jan. 21.

City Clerk Sara Welch said the Feb. 5 Council meeting will be at Burnt Store Presbyterian Church, 11330 Burnt Store Road, and the Feb. 19 Council meeting will be at the Life Celebration Center, 1515 Tamiami Trail.