Klepacz is referring to the $500,000 in stimulus money that the city received earlier this year to help with the costs associated with renovation project.
The renovation is expected to take 12 months and start sometime in 2010.
On Dec. 8, council voted to approve an additional authorization of $1,863,459 for the renovation and an increase of approximately $56,000 for the architectural services.
Part of the renovation has to do with making the building, 3600 Shroyer Road, more energy efficient.
“The ability to obtain stimulus dollars and the ability to reduce our energy usage on this facility was one that was worthy of undertaking a major renovation to the HVAC system, as well as the windows that are the perimeter of this building. By replacing those two elements, the cost of the project increased by approximately $1 million,” City Manager Mark Schwieterman told the city council members. “The benefit to doing it, is the energy savings, as well as the availability of stimulus dollars. We did receive a grant for $500,000 that can be utilized for those expenditures. Within seven years we will have repaid ourselves for the improvements made to the HVAC and the windows through the reduced energy costs and the maintenance related to that.”
The renovation also includes increasing safety in the building and making sure the city council chambers comply with American Disability Act standards.
Mayor Don Patterson said city officials believed now was the right time to do the project.
“We’re going to recoup approximately between $500,000 and $600,000 in stimulus funds and other funds that are available to potentially help with the ADA compliance in this building,” Patterson said. “Those are dollars that a year from now, most likely, won’t be available.”
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