Charles City Council finalizes City Hall renovation design choices

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Charles City Council members discussed some final options for the exterior design of the City Hall remodeling project during a workshop meeting Wednesday evening, including not having another city mural be part of the project.

Kristi King, an associate architect with Bergland & Cram of Mason City, attending remotely, said decisions needed to be made about several design elements for the City Hall remodeling project, including placing a mural on the southern wall of City Hall that faces the Cedar River.

City Administrator Steve Diers said the council needs to be ready to approve plans and specifications at its regular meeting on Monday, Nov. 4, so the plans can be released to bidders next week, get the bids back by the first week in December and potentially award the winning bid at a special meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 11.

King said there were hundreds of details that still needed to be put into the drawings and specifications so contractors “can give the city what it wants” and have “good, competitive pricing for this project.”

The mural that King referred to is the “postcard” mural that would show Charles City scenes built into and around the name Charles City, and that the Town of Colors mural committee has been trying to find a home for for a couple of years.

King said the council had talked about having the mural painted onto panels that were attached to the exterior brick “wing” wall that extends out from the building facing the Cedar River, but she didn’t think that would look the best aesthetically.

The brick arches on that wall will be taken off and the remaining brick tuck-pointed and stabilized regardless of what else is done to it, she said, but what would likely look best would be to paint the mural directly on the brick.

Mayor Dean Andrews, who is also on the Charles City Arts Center Town of Colors mural committee, said City Hall wall was the “next best” location after opposition to putting it on the preferred location, on the side of the 401 N. Main building where the Chamber of Commerce, Main Street Charles City and the Charles City Area Development Corp. are located.

Council member Phoebe Pittman, who is also on the mural committee, said if the mural doesn’t go on the City Hall wall, “we’re missing out on an opportunity to have public art on a public building,” and the hope is that the postcard mural would become a social media photo spot that would get a wide sharing.

But two other members of the council, Patrick Lumley and Phillip Knighten, said they did not favor painting directly on the brick, and wondered about what would happen after several years when the paint starts to fade.

Council member Keith Starr said he didn’t have strong feelings one way or the other, and council member DeLaine Freeseman was absent.

Andrews has said many times with other potential mural sites that the Town of Colors committee only wants murals to be placed where they are welcomed and doesn’t want to force a mural on anyone.

The council doesn’t take official actions at workshop meetings, but because the council opinion was split, Andrews said he was going to make a “mayoral proclamation” that the mural wasn’t going to be placed on the City Hall wall.

The council members also talked with Bergland & Cram representatives about lighting, flagpoles and some other issues regarding the design for the plaza space between the remodeled City Hall and the existing public library.

The exterior of City Hall will be changed dramatically, losing the current covered walkway with arches that goes along the front of the building, creating better handicapped  accessibility, and having the building covered with a variety of materials.

Possible funding sources for the approximate $4 million project include using $1.2 million of federal American Rescue Program Act (ARPA) funds, which need to be committed by the end of the year and spent by 2026; $750,000 out of the city’s general fund cash reserves; $300,000 from water and sewer and $50,000 out of storm sewer and garbage funds over a two-year period; and, depending on the bids, potentially a $3 million to $3.5 million Tax Increment Financing loan over a 10-year period.

Also at the meeting Monday, Community Development Director Mark Wicks gave a report on the city’s Facade Improvement Program and Culture and Entertainment Program, which are managed by Main Street Charles City.

The program’s three-year funding cycle is ending and because the funds come from incremental tax dollars generated in the Riverside Urban Renewal TIF area, the amount of funding has to be certified to the county before Dec. 1, Diers said.

The facade program has been getting $35,000 annually and the cultural and entertainment (C&E) program has been getting $25,000, but the guidelines for how the money can be used are similar, Wicks said.

Both programs aim to revitalize the downtown through grants that can cover up to 50% of the cost of an improvement project, with a limit of $10,000 per grant.

The facade program has an emphasis on the physical preservation and appearance of commercial buildings, while the C&E program has an emphasis on projects that promote cultural and entertainment value to attract tourism and enhance community life, according to information Wicks provided.

Some things the grants don’t cover are sidewalk repairs and roof repairs, although Wicks said roof repairs are among the most frequently asked-for projects.

The council discussed combining the two programs, potentially adding roof repair help at a lesser rate than the full $10,000, and also possibly expanding it beyond the downtown area.

Wicks said Main Street Charles City can only work on downtown projects, but the Chamber of Commerce could take over a program that expanded to cover businesses throughout the city.

The City Council also continued the discussion on the Charles City Housing Authority separating from the city and becoming its own entity.

Housing Director Katie Nolte said the issues they had been working on involving insurance for employees, liability issues and transferring ownership of property had been mostly worked out.

City Administrator Diers said an agreement between the city and the new Charles City Housing and Redevelopment Authority would probably be ready for its first reading Monday evening.