Demolition of school for new city hall getting closer

Glynn Archer Elementary School at United and White streets is set to become Key West's new $15.4 million city hall. Tonight, the City Commission will consider spending more than $500,000 on demolition and engineering analysis in the run-up to construction.

BY SEAN KINNEY

The city's nearly five years of planning the conversion of Glynn Archer Elementary School into a new city hall for Key West may soon show some outward progress with a $483,610 demolition contract in the works.

The City Commission tonight is expected to authorize the deal with local company Charley Toppino and Sons Inc., which beat out four other bidders.

Work outlined in an executive summary from Senior Construction Manager Mike Vieux includes ""environmental cleanup in all buildings, demolition of one-story building C and selective demolition in buildings A and B and the auditorium to reveal the underlying structure."

Architect Bert Bender's plan is for the historic exterior walls to stay but the entire interior be demolished and rebuilt. The costs is projected at $15.4 million.

The city began working with the Monroe County School District on a no-cost transfer of the property in 2009, and construction will start this year following the demolition.

Also up for approval at tonight's commission meeting (it starts at 6 p.m. in Old City Hall on Green Street) is a $71,560 contract with consultant CH2M Hill Engineers to test the concrete integrity of exterior walls at the White Street school.

Vieux's summary says that "when the Glynn Archer School was first proposed to be converted into the new city hall, limited structural testing of the concrete walls was completed as part of a property condition assessment. It will be prudent to verify concrete strength and placement of reinforcing, especially in building A, where the earlier testing was inconclusive."

When complete, the first floor will include City Commission chambers and offices, a small office for the Monroe County School Board and the city building, planning, zoning, parking and revenue departments. The second floor will house the city manager and city attorney's offices along with the finance, water and engineering departments.

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Demolition of school for new city hall getting closer