The Prairie Village City Council earlier this month unanimously approved a $130,000 contract to jump start the design process for a city hall renovation.
Why it matters: The project will be the first large-scale renovation of Prairie Village’s municipal campus on Mission Road since 1996, according to city documents.
The details: Melissa Prenger, senior project manager for the city, told the city council on Sept. 6 this is the result of knowing city staff is outgrowing its space at City Hall.
- The remodel will include City Hall, the police department and the community center — at 7700, 7710 and 7720 Mission Road, respectively.
- Prenger told the city council many specifics about the work are unknown at this point, as a facility assessment and other steps resulting from the contract approval will help determine details.
- Still, some key wants include updated restroom facilities and security system — as well as more room for city staff, Prenger said.
What’s next for Prairie Village City Hall project?
The contract with Kansas City-based design firm Clark & Enersen takes the city from the facility assessment to the schematic design phase, according to city documents.
- The facility assessment will look at the viability of the existing municipal campus, including all three buildings — city hall, the police department and the small community center near the basketball courts.
- After that, the programming step will determine space needs before moving onto designing actual concepts, according to city documents.
- Finally, schematic design will include a structural analysis, code compliance and a layout of any proposed renovations.
- Updates will be provided to the city council before final decisions are made, Prenger said.
Key quote: “The committee has assumed we will be moving forward with [Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design] accreditation of some kind with the remodel project,” Prenger said, referring to the LEED rating system used to grade structures’ environmental impact and sustainability. “To what extent, again, the facility and the project will lead us to that determination. We are hoping and shooting for ‘Gold’ [in LEED] at this point, because renovations are very, very difficult to get a platinum [rating].”
- Prairie Village’s new public works building on Somerset Drive, which officially opened in August, did earn LEED Platinum status, the highest green building designation.
