Council takes new look at adding work space

FOLLY BEACH -- Plans to expand city hall to provide adequate space for city workers and the public were given new life this week when City Council met with an outside facilitator to help council iron out its differences.

In October, council voted 4-3 against Mayor Carl Beckmann Jr.'s proposal to add 5,000 square feet of space to the fire station next to city hall. At the time, Beckmann declared that the project he'd been pursuing for a year was dead.

But when council met earlier this month, members expressed interest in pursuing options to provide more room for city services. They agreed to hold a special meeting with a facilitator. "We all agree we need more space for public safety," Beckmann said Friday. "The question is: How do we provide it?"

Kathy Church of Strategic Focus Associates acted as facilitator at the meeting held Thursday, during which council came up with several alternatives, city administrator Toni Connor-Rooks said.

Some of the possibilities:

--Use the plans that were rejected by council in October, with several optional modifications. The lowest bid for those plans was $1.6 million.

--Buy a newly listed property at 110 W. Cooper St., which is near the fire station.

--Purchase a separate property somewhere on the island and relocate city administrative offices to that property.

During the meeting Thursday, council agreed on the criteria required for an expansion plan to be feasible, Connor-Rooks said. Those criteria were cost, compliance, square footage, providing city services, and meeting best practices. The criteria were divided among the council members and each member was to report back to council on how the alternatives succeeded in meeting the criteria.

City employees are working in hallways, Beckmann said. "They have a little cubicle," he said. "But it's still a hallway."

The next special meeting on the expansion will be 4-6:30 p.m. Dec. 10.