When Sandy Springs incorporated, I gave the mayor and City Council props for locating City Hall in an office park. We were brand-new, not flush with cash and there was plenty of office space for rent. There still is. Since, the city has bought the building that once housed Target with the notion that one day a permanent municipal complex might be built there. Now comes word the city is in the early stages of getting that process in gear, which makes this a dandy time to raise a number of questions.
Is this is the right time for the city to start the protracted process of building a permanent City Hall complex? And given the current and predicted economy, is this the time for some innovative thinking?
Traditional business models are being kicked to the curb as new technologies and economic realities mold new ways of doing business. This may be the ideal time for the mayor and council to look at redefining what the City Hall needs to be, before money is spent on consultants and planning and before a ceremonial groundbreaking.
The city has earned high marks for subcontracting some city services to private companies. Why not take the same attitude with City Hall? Does it have to be some monolithic structure rising above the landscape? Do we need to employ Frank Lloyd Wright’s successor to make a statement with the architectural style?
City halls are still like government buildings when all the sturm und drang ceases, down to the unprepossessing bronze plaque listing everyone who was holding office when the building was dedicated. These are not simply buildings, the politicians tell us, but bold statements about who we are.
Really? I know plenty of entities that are successful at what they do but will never win prizes for cosmetics.
Might we show some intellectual and fiscal courage by thinking through what the City Hall will need to be in 20 years? Do we prove our ingeniousness at responsibility by resisting the urge to build a monument to our own hubris?
I’ve covered city councils from the smallest of rural towns to major metropolitan areas. The latter usually had a chamber as richly appointed as a potentate’s parlor. The former usually had a room with tables and chairs. The business of the people got done in both rooms.
Right now no one is publicly stumping for a municipal eighth wonder of the world. That means this is a most proper moment to get these discussions flowing. Because once decisions are made and checks start getting cut, it will be too late. Considering the times we live in, an investment in marble and mahogany is hardly what we the people need.
Jim Osterman lives in Sandy Springs. Reach him at jimosterman@rocketmail.com
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