The Ashland City Council agreed to seek bids for critical repairs to City Hall as officials consider how to reopen and remodel the building for future use.
The work would address the roof, heating and cooling systems, and electrical systems. City staff will also hire a structural engineer to determine how to retrofit the building to better withstand an earthquake.
Council Member Gina DuQuenne said efforts to renovate City Hall have stretched on for years.
“It doesn't have to be completed in 10 months or 8 months," she said. "But to be able to get the ball rolling, that's something that I would like for us to do.”
City Council Member Derek Sherell said the city needs to reopen the building for the community.
“I see it as City Hall," said Sherell. "I still feel like we have a moral obligation to use it for what it was given to us to use.”
The city recently won a ruling in a lawsuit over the building, giving it a title with fewer restrictions than when the land was gifted to the city more than a century ago.
The mayor and interim city manager favor opening the building to the public, potentially with a welcome center or art gallery.
"I want to see the ground level open to the public, so that we're seeing people come in and out of that building all day long," said interim City Manager Jordan Rooklyn. "That is a piece of downtown vitality that I think we've been missing since we really shut it down post-COVID."
Officials are also discussing public restrooms that would be easier to find than those on Calle Guanajuato.
The city is selling property that could help pay for the repairs. Another potential funding source is a portion of the $4 million payment from Asante for reducing services at the Ashland Community Hospital.
Staff expect to return in February with an update.
