'Needed' Town Hall expansion under way

Council OKs purchase of Thomas & Hutton building

MOUNT PLEASANT — One of the sleekest buildings in town will be the high profile part of a new Town Hall complex expected to become a reality in about two years.

Town Hall will expand into the 10,000-square-foot Thomas & Hutton Engineering Co. regional office, a contemporary-looking edifice with a reflective exterior. It will give the town a more visible presence on Houston Northcutt Boulevard. Currently, a sign on the boulevard denotes the presence of the 25,000-square-foot Town Hall at the end of Anne Edwards Lane behind the Thomas & Hutton building and its parking lot.

The town will purchase the Thomas & Hutton property for $2.8 million in about 30 days using a combination of tax increment financing, development impact fee revenue and general fund money, Town Administrator Mac Burdette said.

In addition to giving Town Hall a higher profile, the new building will provide much-needed work space for the town's 600 employees. Six trailers behind Town Hall currently house planning, finance and purchasing staff, administrative services and an employee break room.

"They're pretty much sitting on top of each other, so it's certainly needed," Town Councilman Gary Santos said.

The town is among the fastest-growing in the state. Since 1990, its population has more than doubled to 63,000.

Council recently approved the purchase of the Thomas & Hutton building. Burdette said he anticipates the town will eventually need another 6,000 square feet in addition to the Thomas & Hutton building.

"We've never thought too much about fancy digs. I don't think it's our style," Burdette said. A Town Hall that is functional and accessible is what matters, he said.

The current Town Hall, purchased in 1989 for $1 million, was the old East Cooper School, a private institution. Before, Town Hall was located at the Darby Building in the Old Village.

Hillary Repik, stormwater program manager, offered her crowded office piled high with work as an example of why more space is needed. It's been more than seven years since Town Hall had a major expansion. The Stormwater Management Division houses some records more than five miles away on Six Mile Road near Boone Hall Plantation, she said.

Although the town will buy the Thomas & Hutton building, the engineering firm will remain as a tenant for two years while it constructs a new home on Hungryneck Boulevard, Burdette said. Unresolved is which town departments will move into the new building. Police and court facilities need to grow, and the only other place for them to expand is the football field behind Town Hall.

"Buying the Thomas & Hutton building allows us the option to move people around in the complex and not have to build on that football field," Burdette said.

As a consulting firm, Thomas & Hutton frequently represents clients on projects before Town Council. The civil engineering firm, headquartered in Savannah, has five regional offices in the Southeast, including the Mount Pleasant location.

Local Branch Manager Tony Woody could not be reached for comment on Friday.

Reach Prentiss Findlay at 937-5711 or pfindlay@post andcourier.com

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