Conversations about a new city hall have been going on for more than a decade, according to Steven Downs, deputy city manager.

It is no secret that the building was built with no seismic code at the time. The city council chamber is just brick and mortar without one rod of rebar for support. In the basement, where records are stored and employees work, they are constantly fighting issues of dripping pipes and raw sewage.

During the council’s recent retreat, they learned just how bad of shape the building is in and how much it would take to replace or do a new build.

“City Hall was built in 1969 and dedicated at the beginning of 1970,” Downs said. “City Hall is not built up to any seismic standards. If a decent-sized earthquake were to happen close enough, we would not be able to escape its collapse in time, let alone utilize it for community response.”

The existing building assessment shows the following concerns and needs:

• Inability to grow and upgrade sufficiently.
• Crowding and dysfunctional spaces.
• Escalating maintenance costs.
• Lacks energy efficiency, such as single pane windows.
• Fire alarm issues and other safety concerns.
• Aging diesel generator.
• Seismic deficiencies.
• Electrical, security and technology system challenges.

“We are in the process of recruiting for and hiring an architect to design our City Hall,” Downs said. “The entire project will take a few years to complete.”

According to Downs, the new building will be on the same property as the current city hall. Temporary offices will have to be used during construction.

“We are looking to do this without any tax increase or borrowing,” Downs said. “We believe we have cash on hand to pay for the entire project.”

Mayor Dave Young and City Manager Jamie Davidson are sparing no time in seeing what could be done without hitting the taxpayer with a bill.

An original study on rebuilding or just building a new city hall was done in 2021. Since then, costs have gone up substantially.

In March 2021, the project remodel costs were estimated at about $21.8 million. As of last month, those costs have risen to $26.1 million.

To build new may just be the optimal choice. Cost comparisons show that in 2021 the cost would have been $19.4 million. In January, the cost was now showing $23.3 million.

“With (a request for proposal) on the street to hire an architect to design a new city center, last week in a pre-bid meeting, we welcomed 14 interested parties to walk through the building and to talk with staff in answering questions about the future project,” Davidson said. “Those participating in the walk-through included general contractors and architects anxious for a chance to work with the City of Orem on this legacy project. RFP responses are due Feb. 8.”

It has taken a while for a city council to get fully on board with the project, but it appears after the retreat there is a greater understanding of the need for a new building.

“Having presented on the subject of a potential new city center at the council retreat for several years in a row now, it was very encouraging to see the entire council thoughtfully coming together in support of moving forward,” said Brenn Bybee, assistant city manager.

Not only does it appear the project will finally get off the ground, city leadership believes they can build without bonding.