Oct. 28, 2019 10:00p; Updated Oct. 30 with comments from mayor
(WGTD)---Members of the Kenosha City Council's Public Works Committee expressed varying degrees of frustration and displeasure Monday night with the planning process for a new city hall.
In an interview with WGTD News Wednesday, Mayor John Antaramian defended the process, and pledged to work with aldermen. He called for patience. "All of the buildings no matter what they are have to go to City Plan," he said. "There's definitely a process that'll give people the ability to weigh in on all of these things. There will be plenty of time for process."
The replacement of the antiquated Municipal Building at the foot of 52nd St. and Lake Michigan with a new structure to go up several blocks away just east of the Kenosha County Courthouse is part of an eight-block redevelopment project.
The developer has yet to be publically identified, and the preliminary plans have only been viewed in private by a select audience, including a majority of council members, according to what was said at Monday's committee meeting.
Antaramian offered no hard time line on bringing the proposed developer and the preliminary design plans to the Plan Commission. And he said that criticism that a rough timeline that was distributed to committee members Monday was too aggressive might indeed be justified. The document calls for City Council approval of the developer before the end of the year, and the bidding process to be completed and construction to begin in the 2nd quarter of next year. Municipal Building staff would make the big move in the 4th quarter of 2021.
Ald. David Bogdala said Monday he couldn't accept an invitation from administration for a briefing on the plans because he had to work. But Bogdala said he spoke to some people who attended and was aware that some flaws in room configurations existed. "If we're going to build this thing it needs to be built right and before we start approving any developers there needs to be a public hearing," he said.
Ald. Bill Siel, who attended one of the sessions, concurred. "Just before the city gets too far ahead of itself on awarding the developer, I really think the committee needs to be part of the merging of that selection and the final decision of the development of the building," he said.
Antaramian told WGTD Wednesday that city officials were still negotiating a contract with the developer that's become administration's first choice.
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