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Old 10-09-2018, 10:07 PM
 
2,233 posts, read 2,112,675 times
Reputation: 775

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Quote:
One sentence in Newt Aaron’s more than an hour and a half presentation underscored the difficulty of the situation facing council.

“The building is characterized by failing systems — the HVAC system ... the emergency generator has failed completely and a temporary one has been put outside, the fire alarms are out of date and we are having extensive water piping and drainage piping deterioration,” Aaron said.

Aaron outlined four possible options for council, then immediately said two of them would not be feasible.


The first of those options was to build a new building to house the courts and government on another site. That would leave council with what Aaron termed “a real estate problem” because it would still have to deal with the existing tower and two annex buildings in some fashion.

The other option Aaron said would not work was a floor-by-floor renovation of the existing tower. He said that option would likely require an addition to the tower and could take as long as five years in the construction process.
Quote:
There are two viable options, Aaron told council.

The first is to tear down the tower and annex buildings and come back with all new constriction, including a new court building on the 10th Street side of the property and a new administration building on the Ninth Street side. A parking structure would need to be built in the city parking lot south of Ninth Street between First and Second avenues.

The other option would be to vacate the tower and demolish the east and west wings. That would allow for a new judicial building to be constructed on the 10th Street side and then the tower could be gutted and renovated, Aaron told the councilors.

“Our definition of renovate is complete renovation,” Aaron said. “We believe that the building would have to be stripped down to the frame.”

If council found the funding and started the process almost immediately, it would be sometime in 2023 before the projects were completed, Aaron said.
Quote:
The first option would be for the city to borrow the money by issuing bonds, but that would increase the millage rate and raise property taxes. This could be done without a referendum that would have to be approved by the voters.

If the city issued $100 million in bonds, it would cost the owner of a home with a fair market value of $150,000 an additional $62.40 a year in property tax. If the city borrowed $200 million, it would cost the owner of a home with a fair market value of $150,000 an additional $124.80 in annual property tax.

The other funding option is through a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, Alexander said.

The current sales tax in Muscogee County is 8 percent, with 4 percent going to the state of Georgia, 2 percent going to the city, 1 percent going to the Muscogee County School District and 1 percent going for regional transportation. The school district Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax expires in June 2020 and the transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax expires in December 2022.

The Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax would have to be approved by voters.

As much information as council has, it still needs more, Aaron cautioned.

“The process that we are recommending to you is that you don’t know enough to make a decision today,” Aaron told council. “... You have to understand the scope, the quality and you need to understand the cost.”
I'm not shocked that the mayor actually want a property tax increase. It been in her plans all along.
https://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news...219733200.html
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Old 10-25-2018, 12:56 PM
 
Location: Columbus, GA
1,054 posts, read 867,060 times
Reputation: 750
Council approves short-term fix to put damaged Government Center courtrooms back in play

Quote:
Columbus Council took the first step this week toward getting the Muscogee County court system back into full operation when it unanimously approved a measure that would fund and repair four courtrooms damaged by flooding.

---

The repair work is expected to begin immediately and be completed sometime in February, City Manager Isaiah Hugley said.

The measure council approved will not only accept the nearly $1.1 million in insurance settlement funds From Travelers to start the repairs on the damaged floors, it will also allow the city to borrow $7 million in bonds issued by the Columbus Building Authority. The city will use $2.5 million of that to address safety issues in the government center, many of them surrounding fire safety.


The city will use $1 million of the borrowed money toward toward planning, engineering and assessment for new building to potentially replace the 47-year-old Government, which houses city administration, multiple city departments and the courts.
Finally movement out of the quagmire. Still no indication of the ultimate fate of the GC, though it would be nice if this repair could go hand in hand with a future renovation of the tower and not have the repairs (and money) just be torn out at a later date.

Since both of the options of the GC include moving entirely out of the tower, I would have preferred an announcement about temporary accommodations for the court and city administration over this though.
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Old 10-26-2018, 05:53 PM
 
3,408 posts, read 1,875,912 times
Reputation: 3542
Since Columbus is an anti-skyscraper town, I "vote" for the "untallest" version. When the city outgrows it a few years from now, we just build another "untall" building.
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Old 10-26-2018, 09:01 PM
 
2,233 posts, read 2,112,675 times
Reputation: 775
Quote:
Originally Posted by JayHey View Post
Council approves short-term fix to put damaged Government Center courtrooms back in play



Finally movement out of the quagmire. Still no indication of the ultimate fate of the GC, though it would be nice if this repair could go hand in hand with a future renovation of the tower and not have the repairs (and money) just be torn out at a later date.

Since both of the options of the GC include moving entirely out of the tower, I would have preferred an announcement about temporary accommodations for the court and city administration over this though.
Quote:
though it would be nice if this repair could go hand in hand with a future renovation of the tower and not have the repairs (and money) just be torn out at a later date.
I agree with this.
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Old 10-31-2018, 12:10 AM
 
Location: Atlanta Metro
1,062 posts, read 1,506,614 times
Reputation: 313
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fountain-of-youth View Post
What if they just stacked the two "towers" on top of each other
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Old 10-31-2018, 06:28 AM
 
Location: Columbus, GA
1,054 posts, read 867,060 times
Reputation: 750
Great idea, if it works for cheeseburgers it has to work for buildings too. Same diff.
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Old 10-31-2018, 09:22 AM
 
3,408 posts, read 1,875,912 times
Reputation: 3542
I LOVE cheeseburgers!
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Old 01-29-2019, 09:06 PM
 
2,233 posts, read 2,112,675 times
Reputation: 775
After watching tonight council meeting,all the councilors expect one want to save the tower for city admin employees. They all agreed on that Judaical building need to be closer to the jail.
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Old 01-29-2019, 09:13 PM
 
Location: Columbus, GA and Brookhaven, GA
5,616 posts, read 8,577,033 times
Reputation: 2389
Keep the tower or rebuild something taller and more modern.
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Old 01-29-2019, 09:18 PM
 
2,233 posts, read 2,112,675 times
Reputation: 775
While renovations continue in the 47-year-old Government Center seven months after flood damage, Columbus Council was presented four options that include relocating the building to a new site during a Tuesday work session.

Deputy City Manager Pam Hodge said Hecht Burdeshaw Architects will team up with 2WR in a partnership to assess the four options in a contract to be presented to council in two weeks. The assessment also will include Newt Aaron of Aaron and Clements, a Columbus-based construction management firm, as well as judicial consultants.

The four options presented include:

A complete demolition of the wings and garage. A new judicial center on the existing site and complete renovation of the tower for administration and a new parking garage.

The second option is a complete demolition of the tower, wings and garage on the existing site with a new judicial center, new administration building and new parking garage. It would be starting over from scratch on the existing site.

The third option includes complete demolition of two wings and the garage. A new judicial center with fewer floors, new garage and administration building will be constructed on a site to be determined. This study does not include reviewing options for a new site but it would be a site in another location, Hodge said. It would include graded parking on the site with no parking garage.

The fourth option would move the new building to a new site. It would include a new judicial center and administration building as determined by capacity.

When asked where would a new site be located, City Manager Isaiah Hugley said the location could be property the city already owns and any site option the city could consider.

With the east and west wings noted in the options, Councilor Charmaine Crabb asked if the city faced the same problems in the wings as the Government Center tower that flooded at 100 10th St. in June. The 10th and 11th floors were heavily damaged.

Hugley said the same infrastructure supports the wings on two stories each. The city faces problems with air conditioning, the impact of old elevators and all the systems.

Mayor Berry “Skip” Henderson said the session was aimed at giving council as much information as possible. Moving to a new site could open the door to other benefits . “This piece of property would be an attractive piece of property,” he said.

The architects will next gather cost estimates on the project that could top more than $100 million.

“The idea is to get numbers with each one of these options,” the mayor said. “We get down to the weeds. If it is off site, where. What would be the total cost versus re-purposing?”

Hodge said some offices have relocated in the tower and the city is moving forward with restoration. The city is also moving forward with the stairwell pressurization of the fire alarm system as well as looking at options on the sprinkler system. Restoration is still on track to be completed in February.

https://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news...225241775.html
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