by Carrie Moritz, Gazette
Over the past two weeks, the City Council has been wrestling with the initial design proposals given to them by ISG Architects. The main issue, is, as always, cost.
We've got champagne dreams for beer wages, the saying goes.
Garretson is growing, and the council, along with an appointed task force, is working hard to ensure the City's infrastructure can keep up. However, it can be difficult to justify funding an initiative with taxpayer dollars as they stand currently.
"We can offer $2.8 million in initial funding, without borrowing from other accounts" or tapping into the City's debt limit and reserves, said City Finance Officer Anna Uhl at a Zoom meeting the council had with ISG Architects' Josh Muckenhirn on Monday, February 22.
Muckenhirn's proposals each cost $4.1-$5.56 million.
He offered four options, from one facility that was 22,845 square feet, to two smaller facilities that were 8,000 and 7,815 sq ft each. All option costs were given with the caveat that these were the "10,000-foot view" costs, and that they would be more finalized as details were decided.
The difference in price versus what the City had readily available made the council sit back and take stock of what the true priorities are.
Some of the questions they wrestled with were, one building, or two? Stay on Main, or move everything to the JC Complex area off Dows and Center? Make a land purchase, or save the funds to put into the building(s)? What kinds of functions does the community really need, versus what's wanted? Do we want to prioritize enticing people to come to Garretson that normally don't, work hard on increasing quality of life for residents, or both? Will more staff be needed in order to run an events center and/or community center? Does the City want to make extra funds from the center, or just break even?
"We need it to serve as many functions as possible, and not paint ourselves into a corner," said City Councilor Bill Hoskins at the Monday, March 1 meeting.
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UPDATE 3/4/21: Josh Muckenhirn's name has been changed to the correct spelling.
