Residents of Port Orchard could see the scheduled renovations for City Hall completed by year’s end with repairs having been finished on the clocktower roof along with work on the clocktower itself and the first-floor police department moving along.
The first of three segments of three- to four-month construction periods is set to be completed by early April and the police force returning to some version of in-office work even sooner, Mayor Rob Putaansuu said during a late February walkthrough of the work zones.
It was clear as day, the amazement on his face, as he strolled through the in-progress police department, which was receiving the heaviest remodel work. “We are a growing city, and we’re adding to the police force. We just needed to be able to live within the footprint of the building that we have already,” he said.
The growing department will benefit, he said, from the reworked space’s ability to greatly reduce exterior noise levels from Bay Street traffic and interior noise between workstations and squad areas. “You can still see through,” said Putaansuu, noting the future installation of glass panels between different stations, “but still very divided on a noise standpoint.”
Comfort is also the name of the game in this round of remodels as the walkthrough gave a first look at the modernization efforts of the building’s heating system. “We’re stepping away from our gas fire broilers and going to an all-electric heat system,” Putaansuu said. “Every office will have one of these (individual) units. We’ll finally be able to get away from space heaters and stuff like that for extra help.”
Putaansuu had been at the top of the building a week earlier helping install the new ship weathervane on the clocktower roof, a “powerful symbol of Port Orchard’s maritime heritage,” as city officials put it. Work has since focused on installing new siding and new clock faces in the tower.
Among the renovations set to be made on the building’s second and third floors are adjustments to focus on ADA compliance such as lowering customer service counters. “We need to meet the needs of those coming in here in wheelchairs and such. This will help us do that,” he said.
Other renovations will include water intrusion prevention and installation of a solar canopy over the police department to provide self-sufficient energy for the building.
The city added in an update that its Public Works front office staff had been temporarily moved to 720 Prospect St. as work begins in its section of the building. Anyone needing to contact Public Works can call 360-876-4991.
Starting March 4, the city added that the door on Prospect Street would be locked, and utility bill payments would also be moved to the temporary address. Council meetings and the city Municipal Court, located on the third floor, would be available from the first-floor Bay Street doors. The city clerk’s office was also scheduled to move to the third floor.
