Preserving Leawood’s original City Hall building for some unspecified future use remains on the table as the city council gets closer to finalizing a master plan for the building as well as an old fire station at 96th Street and Lee Boulevard.
On Monday, the council hired Kansas City-based BBN Architects for $39,000 to come up with costs and use options for both buildings, which were constructed in the 1950s and are now largely vacant.
Four options on the table
The agreement envisions four possible options.
In two, the former city hall building would be retained but there would be no public access to the interior. In the other two, the city hall building would be demolished.
Architects will also explore the feasibility of a monument or interpretive sign about the historic city hall.
Three of the four options would retain all or part of the former fire station, with potential uses for meeting space, restrooms and park programming. In one of the four options, the fire station would be removed.
The agreement also says park elements such as walking trails, an open lawn, a water feature and a playground will also be included.
A community garden similar to an existing one on the site will be in some preliminary concepts “to better understand the implications of keeping this use on the property,” according to the agreement.
A specialty garden also will be included in the preliminary concepts, the agreement says.
Problems with historic city hall structure
Both buildings have challenges, but the list for the former city hall is long.
Inspectors have found mold, wood rot, asbestos, lead paint and water damage. Those problems, in addition to its small size and lack of handicapped accessibility led several councilmembers in January to say they’d prefer to demolish it and focus on the fire station.
Some councilmembers expressed confusion Monday about the possible preservation of the old city hall, since they believed there was a consensus at the January meeting not to continue with that idea.
“I feel like by doing that we are sending a mixed message or a we-can’t-make-up-our-minds message to folks who are following this issue,” said Councilmember Lisa Harrison.
City Administrator Diane Stoddard said the staff is looking for more direction on that, but the agreement attempts “to reflect saving the building but something short of making it an active space.”
Councilmember Mary Larson also mentioned the January discussion, noting that some proposed uses — such as a coffee shop — might set a bad zoning precedent for the rest of the city.
Mayor Marc Elkins said including the old city hall in the future options could give councilmembers a better idea of the cost of demolishing it versus preserving it for an as-yet-unspecified future use.
Scott Bingham, principal at BBN, added that councilmembers could ultimately mix and match ideas from each of the four plans.
Petition calls for buildings to be preserved
There were also some changes in the proposed process.
An earlier draft of the agreement called for two “open house” style neighborhood meetings. Instead, the first neighborhood meeting is being replaced by a session with the park advisory board.
One neighborhood meeting will be held after the advisory board and the full city council have discussed a preferred plan.
Plans for the area have been discussed off-and-on since at least 2008 and have sparked considerable community interest. Councilmembers have previously heard from several city departments and citizens with ideas for how the site could be used.
There’s an online petition at Change.org that currently has nearly 300 signatures that urges the city to save and preserve both historic buildings. That petition, started about a week ago, envisions a locally-owned coffee shop in the city hall space and a community center in the fire station.
“The Original City Hall and Fire Station #1 are not just structures but are emblematic of our neighborhood’s rich past and its potential future,” says the petition, which was started by Jacklyn Penn.
What’s next?
The project’s timeline shows the advisory board meeting will take place in mid June, with the neighborhood meeting in early July and proposals to the planning commission and city council later in July and August.
