By Los Altos Hills
Town Crier Staff Report
Los Altos Hills City Council members are asking their architect to go back to the drawing board for minor changes to plans for a new Town Hall.
At their April 18 meeting, councilmembers requested architect John Goldman add more parking and show more clearly on the floor plan the flexibility of the wall spaces. Councilman Steve Finn wanted assurances that the walls could be moved easily to accommodate any future changes to working arrangements in the new building.
“Some of these walls can be moveable walls,” Goldman said. He said the plan needs to show “how easy it would be to change things around.”
Goldman increased parking in the designs from 41 to 52 spaces, including some spaces nestled among orchard trees.
The 6,900-square-foot, mission-style structure will replace the current 40-year-old town hall, which has proven cramped for town staff and public meetings and lacks seismic and building code updates.
“This is not an effective space to conduct the public’s business,” City Manager Maureen Cassingham said.
New plans include a front reception area, meeting rooms, more storage space and a larger kitchen and lounge. Employee offices will remain approximately the same size they are now, but council chambers can be expanded to allow as many as 100 visitors. The current chambers have a capacity of 60.
Sheriff’s officers and public works officials, now occupying the neighboring Heritage House, will move into the new town hall. Heritage House will be moved to another location as yet undetermined.
The entire cost of the project - an estimated $3.5 million to $4 million - will be paid for up front from the town budget, but Mayor Toni Casey also plans a community fund-raising effort to help pay for the new building. Casey said she is waiting for final plans before embarking on the fund-raising efforts.
“We have every intention of raising (money) for the new town hall,” she said.
Cassingham said construction is expected to take 14-16 months, but she could not offer a timeline for groundbreaking. Councilman Bob Fenwick said he doesn’t expect a groundbreaking before fall.
