CMA Expansion Prompts Talk for New City Hall

No matter the outcome of the special election regarding Clearwater Marine Aquarium officials' $160 million expansion to redevelop City Hall, leaders look to make their own multi-million dollar move.

Options for new meeting space include construction of a $7.5 million facility most likely at the vacant lot near the Municipal Services Building and Clearwater Police headquarters or reorganizing space at the Main Library to accommodate city meetings.

“A library is a library and a city hall is a city hall,” Mayor George N. Cretekos said Monday. “There’s too many activities at the library that conflict with what we are trying to do as a city hall.”

He said that while costs are lower to renovate space elsewhere, that is not the right message to send to residents.

“We ought to be able to put up a building that is functional without it being a Taj Mahal and it serving our purposes,” he said.

Vice Mayor Paul Gibson said the practical and cost effective solution would be to use space on the first and second floors at the Main Library.

“I have a hard time spending $7.5 million of taxpayer money to house 55 people when we already have facilities that are vacant,” he said.

City officials have intended to replace the nearly 50-year-old city hall structure for years. Possible funding could come from Penny for Pinellas in 2017.

Some work was done to repair the building’s aging elevator and air conditioning systems years ago, that work was expected to give the facility 10 to 12 more years.

Bill Horne, city manager, said preliminary discussions with Clearwater Marine Aquarium officials, indicate that if approved, they would want to have the City Hall site vacated by 2015.

Regardless of the outcome of the referendum Nov. 5, city leaders said a plan for a new City Hall facility should be put together. 

Officials said a new building could be finished in about 18 months with more details regarding the facility coming at an April meeting.

The current facility is 18,600 square feet including office space and council chambers, with 127 spaces out front and 62 spots in the parking lot behind it. 

Parking needs, based on current code, would be 54 to 90 spaces, which does not include spaces for chamber and auditorium needs. But the nearby 474-space MSB garage could accommodate evening city council meeting parking needs.

“We know we are going to move City Hall. We know we are going to build it. We know we have to build it. There’s no reason not to get started on it,” Gibson said later in the meeting. “It’s not like it isn’t something we aren’t going to use later.”

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