$50 million City Hall bond passes in Henderson

The Henderson City Council Tuesday passed a $50 million general obligation bond that will allow for the expansion of City Hall and the cleanup of Henderson's landfill.

The 50,000-square-foot City Hall, 240 Water St., would be expanded by 170,000 square feet, bringing the total space to 220,000 square feet, said John Simmons, the city's construction manager.

A four-story, $4 million parking garage also will be constructed, bringing the cost for the expansion to nearly $52 million. Additional funds for the project will be supplemented by the city's building fund, City Manager Phil Speight said.

The new City Hall building will be attached to the current structure and will allow for an enclosed walkway to the Emergency Services Facility, 223 Lead St., which houses part of the Henderson Police and Fire Department administrators. Fire Department officials would be moved into the new building, to free up space in the Emergency Services facility for additional police, Speight said.

A parking lot currently sits on the area proposed for the expansion, said Michael Bouse, the city's director of building and safety.

The first floor of the new building will hold a 40,000-square-foot development center, where citizens and developers can go for all of their development-related permits.

Bouse said 93 employees from the city's building and safety, city clerk, community development, finance, fire, information technology and public works departments will occupy the center.

The consolidation of services will make the development process a lot easier, Speight said.

"It will be a lot more effective," Speight said. "It will be a one-stop shop where people can go that are looking for permits without having to run from one location to another."

The development center's consolidation also will reduce the wait for permits to be issued, Bouse added.

"In some cases, the time it takes to receive a permit could be cut from 11 weeks to three weeks," he said.

"When we moved into this City Hall in 1989, we had 300 employees," Speight said. "Today, we have 1,800 employees. I think the numbers speak for themselves."

The cleanup of Henderson's old dumpsite will receive $8 million to $10 million from the bond, Speight added.

The 54-acre dump near the Calico Ridge area has been closed since the early 1970s.

Cleaning up the landfill, which the city hopes to some day convert into an 18-hole golf course, could take two to three years.

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