That’s so city staff members have time to unpack boxes and get settled, city project manager Rick Dougherty said.
In the meantime, the city has a lot of moving to do – from its existing City Hall at 900 Plum St. S.E. to the shiny, four-story structure at 615 Fourth Ave. E.
During the past couple of weeks, files, records and other items have been moved.
“Refrigerators, microwaves, furniture, you name it,” Dougherty said.
A&E Relocation Services of Olympia is the mover for the city.
Now, city information technology employees are wiring for dozens of new computers in the busy hive. Finishing touches such as electrical connections and some carpeting are being made, Dougherty said.
There are two big moving weekends – March 4-6 and March 11-13. The occupants of the third and fourth floors will move the first weekend, and those on the first and second floors get the next weekend.
To give time to prepare for the move, the current City Hall and Public Works offices will close at noon March 4.
The current City Hall counter will be open for business from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. March 7-10 for utility and parking payments and permits. But the current City Hall, as well as the Police and Community Planning and Development departments, will be closed March 11.
On March 14, all those functions, now spread out in multiple buildings, will be at the new City Hall.
“One of the things that we’re looking forward to is it will make it a lot more efficient for us and hopefully a lot more convenient for customers,” city spokeswoman Cathie Butler said.
The new building features a central customer service desk that’s just past the front doors. There, people can buy parking permits, get information about city services, make deliveries and check in for meetings. Two nearby computer kiosks are set up for people to pay utility bills and parking tickets and apply for city jobs. Also on the first floor is the Police Department lobby.
People who need to file building plans and permits will be referred up a flight of stairs to the second-floor counter, home to the planning department.
After the big move, the current City Hall will be refashioned as the Olympia Municipal Justice Center. Municipal Court offices, probation services, the day reporting center and the work crew will move into the offices, Butler said. That will happen after the building is cleaned and renovated, she said.
Olympia Municipal Court will continue to meet in the current Council Chambers in the center of the current City Hall. The Olympia City Council will continue to meet there for a time, too, while audiovisual equipment is moved to the new Council Chambers.
The council doesn’t meet next Tuesday or March 1 because of a council break, but it is scheduled to meet March 8, March 15 and March 22 in its current home. It will take another break March 29 and April 5. The first council meeting in the new building is set for April 12.
Parking at the new City Hall will be a new experience; there is no dedicated parking lot for the public or employees on-site, except for police vehicles.
Street spaces are available on Cherry and Chestnut streets and on Fourth and Fifth avenues.
As for employees, they can park for free at the old City Hall and walk. Or they can pay $45 a month to park in a new city parking lot nearby off Fourth Avenue, the site of an artesian well. Private parking lots also are available, and people can pay to park all day at nine-hour spaces.
Some city services will remain in other buildings.
The parks department will stay in The Olympia Center, 222 Columbia St. N.W. The Olympia Fire Department will keep its headquarters at 100 Eastside St., and some public works employees will remain at the city’s maintenance center at 1401 Eastside St. N.E.
Matt Batcheldor: 360-704-6869 mbatcheldor@theolympian.com
GRAND OPENING
Olympia’s new City Hall, at 615 Fourth Ave. E., is set to open for business to the public at 8 a.m. March 14. A grand opening celebration is set for 1-4 p.m. March 26. All four floors will be open for viewing and tours, and there will be musical entertainment.
