Condition of Existing City Hall

To understand the reason for building a new city Hall, it's important to look at the existing building.  Because much of City Hall has limited access, the public may not realize the state of current City Hall.  Here's a brief summary of the existing building:

Feature:	Problem:
Space	Overcrowded, unwelcoming lobby leads to diminished customer service. Employee work spaces are inefficient and crowded. Council Chambers are not flexible and cannot accommodate large meetings. The City pays for off-site storage. Many documents and important equipment are stored off-site making it difficult to access.
Maintaining Existing vs. Building New	Serious water problems, plumbing and heating/air (including two sewage pipes breaking over work stations).  The cost to maintain the existing building is becoming overwhelming.
ADA Compliance	People with mobility issues or disabilities are unable to access the entire building. The areas that are accessible are not easily accessible.
Technology	The existing Police Station, Fire Department and City Hall facility was not designed with technology in mind.

Site Location

The new Police, Fire and City Hall facility will be built in the area of the current facility. The exact layout of the new facility on the property will be determined by early 2008.  The park as it exists today most likely will change; the Task Force has placed a high priority on maintaining the integrity of the park and enhancing the current features. The City owns one of the homes with plans to buyout the second home.  The Task Force decided this location was the best when considering factors like cost, land use and convenience.

New City Hall

Like the existing facility, the new facility will combine City Hall administration, Police, and Fire. However, the new building will be much bigger and with more office and storage space.  The building will also meet ADA requirements and will meet the City's technology needs.

Video Tour of City Hall

Richfield's existing City Hall building at 6700 Portland  Avenue.

Maintaining the existing building has become costly.  The structure has required numerous repairs including the roof which was leaking badly in 2005.  Changes in technology over the past 40 years has presented challenges to our staff.

The lobby, council chambers, and public restrooms are not adequate for the number of people who use the building.  What's more, the existing building does not have an elevator and is not ADA compliant.

The existing building is literally rotting out as seen in this sanitary pipe which busted and leaked into the Public Safety Department