City plans cheaper new City Hall

The city of Berkeley Lake will break ground on its new City Hall —- likely by month’s end —- once a few cost issues are sorted out, officials said.

The 4,000-square-foot building should begin construction in a few weeks once the City Council decides what aspects of the building it wants to value-engineer.

“Anytime you’re looking to cut costs, the neat term for that is ‘value-engineer,’ ” said City Administrator Tom Rozier, adding that the type of wood will be under discussion. The council’s next meeting is today.

Barbara Carroll, chairwoman of the architectural design committee, said the price tag for the new City Hall is about $1 million. But Rozier said it’s hard to put a final estimate on the cost of the new quarters and accompanying park until the city decides on adjustments to bring that cost down.

“The good news is that from a materials standpoint, we’re estimated to begin this project at a time when materials are at a three-year low,” Rozier said.

And before the new building can go up, the old one-room City Hall has to come down. The city is looking for temporary office space during construction.

Berkeley Lake’s new Craftsman-style structure will be a departure from the shiny municipal shrines being built or recently unveiled in other cities in Gwinnett County, Carroll said.

That’s because residents wanted the new City Hall overlooking the lake at Bush and Berkeley Lake roads to fit within a residential framework, she said.

“They wanted something that is very comfortable.”