Plans to demolish North Royalton’s old City Hall have been made and are in full swing. The decision was made on the fate of the old city hall by City Council at its March 21 Council meeting. The old city hall is located on the city green at the intersection of Rt 82, Bennett and Ridge Roads. The building was vacated in 2014, when the city’s administration moved to the old library building on State Road. Mayor Bob Stefanik said that the city has been seeking funding to rehabilitate the building, but there are no grants to be had.
The city green has gone through a series of changes since the inception of Royalton Township, which was established in 1818. The area was the home of the North Royalton Baptist Church, which was razed in 1929, a grocery store and a cemetery and a city hall. All of those buildings were then razed, including the original city hall, built in 1870 and also served as a school building. The present city hall on the city green was then built in 1947. Two wings were eventually added and the building once housed both the fire and police departments. The fire department moved to it’s Rt. 82 location in the 1980’s and the police department in the 1990’s. The building, although continuing to house city administration, was never updated. According to Stefanik, the building suffers from water problems, asbestos and foundation issues. Apparently, the second city hall was built on the foundation of the original building, and is collapsing.
“I’d be the first to refurbish the original section,” said Stefanik, “but it’s just not cost effective. We are getting absolutely no bites for grant funding, and it would cost well over $2 million to refurbish the building.” He added that there is also the continual cost of utilities to contend with for a building that is not being used. Additionally, Stefanik points out that the way the building was added onto has made it a structure that really has no historical components.
Council President Larry Antoskiewicz stated that “like anything, any time you have to make a decision to change something that has been around for a long time, it becomes difficult.” He likens this to the recent change in the playground, where the old playground had to be torn down to make way for the new one. There were some people who were against it. Some that worked on the construction of the playground. “I get it,” said Antoskiewicz, but if we continue to do nothing, we don’t grow.” He added that if the city doesn’t take it down, it could fall down, as the two wings are already bowing out. Additionally, he noted that the building is really not a good fit for a lot of things. He would like to see the building come down and a plan formulated to make the green a good centerpiece of the city again.
“The city has appointed Brandstetter Carroll, Incorporated as the architect to look at concepts to replace the old city hall that is more recreationally-oriented,” according to Community Development Director Tom Jordan. Brandstetter Carroll is not new to North Royalton. They were the architect that designed the new City Hall, and were also involved in the North Royalton YMCA project.
Some design concepts have been shared with Council, but a formal plan has not been approved. The asbestos abatement on the structure has already taken place, at a cost of about $24,000. The demolition of the building project was placed out to bid, with the bid opening on May 26. Jordan said that photos will be taken of the building for the historical record.
The bid openings for the project took place on Friday, May 26. The official bid will be approved at the next City Council meeting on June 6. The city estimated the cost of demolition to be about $200,000. It will be funded through the city’s Future Capital Improvement Fund. Demolition is expected to take place within the next six weeks. Stefanik said he hopes to have the pavilion built in time for the city’s bicentennial celebration, which is scheduled for August, 2018.
By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer