Architects are assessing the physical needs of City Hall, four years after a completing a report that included recommendations for the municipal complex, ranging from renovations to a new facility.
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During its Jan. 8 meeting, City Council approved a resolution (AR-14-24) awarding a $23,500 contract to RSC Architects for “architectural services as they relate to the feasibility assessment” of the municipal complex. The proposal, dated October 2023, indicates a final report is expected next month after meeting with representatives of the health, engineering, and police departments to “confirm the areas of need and identify anticipated future growth of spaces.”
The Hackensack-based architectural firm also was awarded a contract to assess the former Bachmann’s Tavern, which the city aims to purchase for use as a youth center and to house the school district’s all-day pre-kindergarten.
RSC conducted a similar assessment in 2020 of the entire City Hall complex, including the library, as well as Hamilton Stage for the Arts. The assessment of Hamilton Stage examined “thermal resistance of the exterior walls, and the translucent panel system” to identify the cause of “major heat loss” in the facility, “evidenced by monthly costs of utilities to maintain the arts center.”
The contract, awarded in 2019, yielded three reports on the existing conditions of Hamilton Stage, Rahway Public Library, and City Hall.
The 2020 report on City Hall concluded that “an extensive amount of renovation work is required to the site, roof, interior layouts, interior finishes, and mechanical/electrical/plumbing systems,” as well as other issues that do not comply with current standards. The police department, zoning/planning offices, building department, court and court clerk offices are undersized and require more space to properly function, according to the assessment. The report recommended options ranging from alterations and renovations to construction of a new building, that would cost from anywhere from $13 million to $27 million.
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