Highland officials broke ground Monday for a new $7.9 million city hall building that will include many upgrades from their old building -- one of which is accessibility for those with disabilities.

"The need for a new city building goes back about six years," said Barry Edwards, Highland City Manager. "For the past five years, we have looked at many options for fixing many problems that our city hall building had."

The accessibility issue came to the attention of the city just over two years ago when Keith Barney, a BYU professor and para-Olympian, went to the building to pay a speeding ticket.

Barney couldn't physically get into the building with his wheelchair, so he contacted the Disability Law Center (DLC).

"He explained his problem to us, and we worked with the city for over a year to make the changes that were necessary," said Leslie Shaar, attorney with the Disability Law Center. "They kept telling us that they were doing what they could during that time."

The DLC then filed an official lawsuit in Federal Court against the city in June 2006, alleging a variety of accessibility problems with the Highland City Hall building.

"We have been in negotiations since then to ensure that all citizen would have access to the services," Shaar said.

Highland city staffers said that the amount of time taken was normal for that type of action.

"Government is designed to have a decision making process that is more of a metamorphosis than an instant change," Edwards said. "In the end you tend to have a descent that is based on facts and includes a variety of ideas and perspectives."

Shaar said that those at the DLC are now thrilled with the action taken to build the new city building.

"With more than 38,000 people living with disability in Utah County, it is critical that the residents of Highland are able to access their local government and the services that it offers," Shaar said. "Litigation is always a last resort in cases like this. We only use it when we can't work it out another way."

Edward said that the city staff is pleased with the plans for the new building.

"We're excited for a fully accessible building," Edwards said. "The access is important, but it is not only that. The current building needed to be changed because it is not able to serve the entire public very well."

The city staff said that besides the accessibility problem, they also looked at size problems, and that the new building will be big enough for the city's needs.

The new building will include two wings, one with a city council chambers and a home for all city offices, including planning and zoning. The second wing will house a new interim library component for Highland residents' use.

"It won't be a huge library, but it is the start of one," Edwards said. "It will be kept there until the city grows and needs the space for City Hall use."

The building is planned for completion in about 10 months.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D1.