After reviewing options for repairing or restoring Punta Gorda’s City Hall building, City Council members are expected to move toward a plan at their May 7 regular meeting.
The majority of funding for the City Hall building is coming from the 1% sales tax voters approved in past referendums, while insurance will play another part in funding the project.
The historic building at 326 W. Marion Ave. was built in 1926 and has been shuttered, along with its 1978 addition, after Hurricane Ian tore through the city in 2022.
At Council’s pre-agenda meeting May 5, city Principal Planner Carl Benge and Senior Project Manager Danielle Berhel provided options for the building. The rehabilitation and expansion project was budgeted for $15,887,310 in fiscal year 2025.
During the last Council administration in 2024, the majority of then-members solicited bids and chose Goodwyn Mills Architects and Chris-Tel for construction manager at risk services.
Of the three options presented, the majority of Council in 2024 chose the most expensive one that included a third level at a cost of $19,163,112. However, voters in the November 2024 election ousted council members Bill Dryburgh, Donna Peterson and Mayor Lynne Matthews.
During the public portions of 2024 meetings, residents complained the city would be spending too much of their tax dollars on the new building.
The current administration’s make-up, including council members Jeannine Polk, Janice Denton and Greg Julian, scrapped the higher-priced option. In January, they voted to solicit estimates for repairing and rehabbing the 1926 building and its addition.
Benge and Berhel’s presentation illustrated the best use for the building. The first floor will be used for community engagement, such as Council meetings, public services, meeting space, a visitor information center and offices of the City Clerk. The second floor would be used for offices and archives and record storage.
A $202,235 elevator would take staff and visitors to the second floor, and restrooms would be Americans with Disabilities Act compliant.
Benge and Berhel pointed out the pros and cons of making the interior improvements.
The pros are preserving the building’s cultural significance, as it is on the National Register of Historic Places, and cost savings.
The cons include hidden structural issues, such as a crumbling back wall, lead paint, potential accessibility compromises and space limitations.
Still needed to be remediated are issues with mold, lead paint, asbestos, accessibility, HVAC, electrical work, a new roof that is currently out for bid and an exterior back wall.
Mayor Debi Lux, at Council’s pre-agenda meeting, said the city’s biggest concerns should be mold and structural issues before considering an ADA elevator.
She asked whether the city is seeking to restore or remodel the building.That is what Council members will discuss during their regular meeting May 7.
Council currently meets at the city-owned Laishley Marina Community Room, 120 Laishley Court, Unit 111, unless otherwise noted.
After Hurricane Ian, the city leased Gulf Theater from the Military Heritage Museum as the city’s meeting place, but the museum and city mutually terminated the lease in January.
Council then met at places around the city, including Punta Gorda Library, Punta Gorda Civic Association and Burnt Store Presbyterian Church.
