Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety Friday approved the city entering into a contract to investigate the feasibility of moving its current city hall to a new location.
Board member and city councilman Charlie Smith and Warsaw Mayor Ernie Wiggins voted in favor of the contract. Board member Joe Thallemer was absent during Friday's meeting.
Warsaw City Hall currently is at 302 E. Market St.
The contract will allow Warsaw to investigate the feasibility of moving the city hall to the existing building at the current National City Bank location.
The National City building is located at the corner of Buffalo and Center streets in downtown Warsaw.
The $15,000 contract between Warsaw and Hannum, Wagle & Cline Engineering, Terre Haute, will include a space management study to determine what measurement dimensions are needed for a new city hall, according to City Planner Jeremy Skinner. The study also will determine if the National City building meets those needs.
The city previously had been investigating the former Indiana American Water site for a potential city hall. Wiggins said that location is still not out of the question.
National City is currently still at the location, but will vacate the building June 30 and move to the Symmetry Medical building on Market Street, Wiggins said.
PNC Bank purchased a building on West Market Street that is adjacent to the National City drive-thru and ATM location.
The Market Street location will be the new home of PNC.
PNC Bank, which acquired National City Bank in December 2008, will convert current National City Banks to PNC Banks as well as consolidating branches starting in June.
Wiggins said he has contacted the owner of the building expressing the city's interest in investigating the feasibility of turning the National City building into a city hall.
Wiggins said as a result of the Hyatt-Palma study for downtown needs that was conducted in 2002, the study found that the city's current city hall is outdated and not a good reflection of the community."The city obviously doesn't want to spend any more money than we have to, but we would like to investigate using the existing National City site for a new city hall," Wiggins said.
