City Council to get first look at remodeled work areas

Published 10:01 am Monday, February 20, 2017

The Austin City Council will get a first look at some remodeled spaces in City Hall on Tuesday.

The council is slated to tour its remodeled spaces in the 500 Fourth Ave. NE site, which will soon be the new home of Austin Parks and Recreation and some other city offices.

The council members will tour the remodeled facilities during a work session after the regular council meeting, which will be at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the council chambers.

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Wagner construction remodeled the old Austin Utilities office for about $377,000 to revamp the office space.

Austin Utilities moved last year to its new Service and Operations Center.

City Administrator Craig Clark has said the remodel and subsequent office moves will bring everyone under one roof and improve efficiencies. Plus, the city is able to do that without building a new building or making major structural changes to the building, Clark noted.

Staff is slated to move in next month.

After the remodel, the former Austin Utilities space will house most of the city’s administrative and finance offices along with Mayor Tom Stiehm, Administrator Craig Clark and other offices.

Austin Parks and Recreation will move into the current administrative office area on the ground floor.

The city’s engineering departments — like public works department, storm water, building inspections and such — will also move to the old Austin Utilities engineering area on the second floor.

Construction to remodel the current Austin Utilities space in City Hall also included new permanent walls on the main and second floors, new side cube walls, new carpet on the first floor, new paint and a new conference room on the main floor.

In other areas, the city could repaint most areas, create a new break room in the engineering staff work area, repair exterior stucco finish and replacing the current city clerk door with windows for Parks and Rec. The city is also adding backlit signage on the north and south sides of the building.

Other business

In other business, the Austin City Council will hold public hearings on the following proposed street improvement projects during its regular 5:30 p.m. meeting:

—Street improvements on Fourth Avenue Northwest from Fourth Street Northwest to 12th Street Northwest

—Street improvements on First Street Southwest from First Avenue to a dead end), Second Street Southwest from First Avenue to Fourth Avenue Southwest, Third Street Southwest from Fourth Avenue to Fifth Avenue Southwest, Fourth Avenue Southwest from 2nd Street to Fourth Street Southwest) and Fifth Avenue Southwest from Third Street to Fourth Street Southwest

—Street improvements on Sixth Street Southeast from 12th Avenue to Sixth Avenue Southeast, and Sixth Avenue Southeast from Sixth Street to Eighth Drive Southeast

—Street improvements on Fifth Avenue Northwest from Eighth Street to 11th Street Northwest, Sixth Avenue Northwest from Eighth Street to 11th Street Northwest and Seventh Avenue Northwest from Eighth Street to 11th Street Northwest

—Alley reconstruction between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue NE from Ninth Street to 10th Street NE