Greeley planning to move City Hall, build new municipal complex

GREELEY — The city of Greeley intends to move City Hall from its iconic Round Building at 1000 10th St. to a new location within the next two to three years.

The city has been acquiring land within the block west of City Hall, where it would like to build a complex to consolidate the city’s 800 employees that now are housed in five separate buildings scattered throughout downtown.

That block consists of the City Hall Annex building at 1100 10th St. and several other properties. The city, through its Greeley Urban Renewal Authority, recently acquired three properties and has deals in the works for two more parcels in that block, said Becky Safarik, Greeley’s assistant city manager.

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Recent land purchases were for 1111 11th St., 1115 11th St. and 1015 11th Ave. The city is negotiating with the Weld County School District 6 for property at 1121 11th St., and Ten Sleep Investment Group LLC for 1011 11th Ave.

“The annex building, the recent acquisitions and the two parcels we are negotiating for would give us three-fourths of that block,” Safarik said. “We have worked up some informal drawings on what that complex might look like.”

Safarik said having employees spread out has “compromised customer service. … Together, we can be much more efficient.”

The city has issued a request for quotation, or RFQ, a variation of a request for proposal, or RFP. It typically provides more information to the bidder about the project’s requirements. It often requires the bidder to break down costs for each phase of the project.

The first steps are being taken to secure a tenant for the Round Building. The nonprofit High Plains Library District is studying the feasibility of converting the Round Building into to a library, where it would move its Lincoln Park Library currently located on city-owned property at 919 Seventh St.

The city wants to build a hotel and conference center on that site, which also houses Greeley Municipal Court and headquarters for the Greeley Fire Department. At present, plans being developed for the hotel and conference center have it being built on the existing parking lot in that block.

Safarik said it would make sense to move the court to the new complex and put that property and the library building site on the open market for private redevelopment. She said the city is still considering if it would be feasible to move the fire department headquarters.

The city has been in negotiations with Greeley-based Hensel Phelps Construction Inc. to determine if the firm will receive the contract to build the hotel and conference center. Those negotiations could take another two months before possibly signing a deal, Safarik said.

The library district currently leases space for the Lincoln Park Library from the city for $10 per month, said Janine Reid, director of the High Plains Library District, which oversees seven libraries in Northern Colorado, including Lincoln Park.

The library district received a $15,000 grant in August from the State Historical Fund for a historic-structure assessment. The district has hired Denver-based architecture firm Slaterpaull | Hord Coplan Macht to conduct the study that is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

If a conversion is feasible, the library district would work with the city to move the Lincoln Park Library to the building that houses city hall, Reid said. “But, if the structural and architectural reports show the conversion is not possible, we will be looking for land or other property that could be remodeled,” Reid said.

Safarik said the city would like to see the library in the Round Building, but if a deal falls through, the city likely would put the building on the market. “We’ve received inquiries about the building from private parties,” she said.

The two-story, 28,228-square-foot Round Building was constructed in 1967 by Hensel Phelps and opened in 1968 as the Weld County Bank, with additional occupants including the National Sugar Beet Growers Federation, the Mountain States Beet Growers and several small businesses. It later became home to United Bank of Greeley that in 1987 merged with Norwest Bank.

The city of Greeley acquired the building for $1.6 million in 1987, and interior offices were renovated to accommodate city employees.

The structure was designed by Denver architect Norman Knedler, who followed Norman Dean’s vision for an “unusual and distinctive” building. At the time, Dean was president of Weld County Bank.

Among “distinctive features” is its round shape accented by tall concrete columns painted white and a dome.