During its Feb. 8 meeting, Conroe City Council deferred approving the cost estimates, proposed design and Phase 2 proposal from architecture firm PGAL for the design of the city hall lobby and Conroe visitors center.
City Council members cited a desire to wait until the Conroe Industrial Development Corp.—which is anticipated to help fund the project—voted on the items, which should happen at its March meeting.
In a nutshell
Conroe is anticipated to renovate the first floor of city hall and the visitors center for $3.1 million, according to the Feb. 7 workshop meeting agenda packet. The project will be funded using money from four areas:
- Conroe Visitors Bureau: $1.67 million
- Conroe Economic Development Corp.: $302,654.40
- Downtown Development: $533,266.80
- Facilities Management: $606,564.80
Facilities Manager Tammie Rushing said the project would include adding:
- Six offices
- A board room
- A community training room
- Additional restrooms
- An employee break room
“When we started, we really didn’t have a budget as far as we had $500,000 dedicated just to get going,” Rushing said. “We bought some carpet; we started the actual Phase 1 design, which PGAL did that. They came up with our estimates as far as what they think the cost would be, and that’s where we are kind of asking now for approval to use this as our budget.”
The context
A redesign of the first floor of city hall has been in the works since at least early 2022. Last June, council approved naming architecture firm PGAL to provide design services, Community Impact previously reported.
PGAL, which provided Phase 1 for the design of the project, is also being recommended for Phase 2, which would include developing construction documents for the project. PGAL would be paid $156,095 for the Phase 2 work, according to the Feb. 7 agenda packet.
- The $156,095 is included in the overall cost of $3.1 million, said Colin Boothe, director of finance and assistant city administrator, during the Feb. 7 meeting.
What else?
A committee has been meeting about this redesign for around six months, according to the Feb. 7 agenda packet.
What they’re saying
During the Feb. 7 workshop meeting, Conroe City Council discussed the project.
- “I think it’s really important that the CVB and the downtown group are down here accessible to the public on the first floor. ... This has evolved to the best practical use for all citizens and all the different entities within the city too," council member Harry Hardman said.
- “I think it’s also a great idea to have [the CVB, downtown group] down here. I’m just worried about the opportunity trade-off. But I do recognize this is a long-term investment in the infrastructure here," council member Howard Wood said.
Stay tuned
Rushing said once approved by council, the construction documents would take four to six weeks to be completed, after which the city will advertise for bids. Construction on this project would take around six months.
Conroe City Council should consider approving the cost estimates, proposed design and Phase 2 proposal from PGAL for the design of the city hall lobby and Conroe visitors center after the CIDC votes on it, which should happen at its next meeting in early March.