Construction on the new government complex in Dade City is more than halfway complete.
To celebrate, workers took a short breather for a traditional “topping out” ceremony for the modern day replacement of the historic City Hall.
On Sept. 3, dozens of city employees, community leaders, architects from Wannemacher Jensen Architects and the construction team from Ajax Building Corp. celebrated the milestone.
Afterward, they enjoyed a luncheon at the site.
(Photos courtesy of Wannemacher Jensen Architects)
Usually such ceremonies happen when the last steel beam is hoisted into place at the tallest point in the building. But “topping out” the new one-story City Hall called for something a bit different.
People were invited to sign their names on the unfinished lobby wall. Those signatures will vanish under the finishing touches to the interior walls.
“It’s like a time capsule element,” said Michael Wilson, operations project manager for Ajax Building Corp.
With the exterior work all but complete, the next phase of construction on the approximately 22,000-square-foot structure will be to install the mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems. Paint and interior trims will follow.
The project is slated for completion in early 2016. The busier than usual rainy season hasn’t been an issue in keeping to the schedule, Wilson said.
The design by Wannemacher Jensen Architects has two separate buildings linked by an entryway canopy and courtyard.
One building will house government offices in City Hall; the other will be headquarters for Dade City police.
Funding for the estimated $5.9 million project is from the city’s reserve funds and the Penny for Pasco program.
In 2013, work crews tore down the historic City Hall, which started out as a 1920s hotel that never was completed. It became the hub of city government in the 1940s as part of a Depression-era work project.
While awaiting their new offices, city employees are working at a City Hall annex and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Depot on U.S. 98, at U.S. 301.
About 20 employees will move into the new City Hall, with about 25 police department employees settling into their new headquarters.
The move should be complete by Feb. 1, said Gordon Onderdonk, the city’s public works director.
The city’s police department will relocate from its current Pasco Avenue address to the new complex, which will have interview rooms, holding cells, a booking area, a special area for the K-9 unit and a conference.
No decision has been made on the future of the existing police station.
New and upgraded technology will be installed throughout the two buildings. And there will be a panoramic view of Meridian Avenue from the chamber of the City Commission.
Published September 16, 2015
