The Paducah City Commission is contracting an architectural design firm to develop blueprints for a new city hall.
At its meeting last night, the commission approved a $1.6 million contract with Indianapolis-based firm RATIO Architects for services on the project.
The city interviewed four firms over the summer with aims to pursue a dual pathway of designing a new city hall or rehabilitating the existing one.
A member of Paducah-McCracken County Growth, Inc. will be included on the committee.
RATIO will look at designing a facility that will include the departments currently in City Hall and the possible addition of the Information Technology Department. The scope does not include the addition of police or E911.
RATIO will facilitate decision-making workshops and civic engagement and provide design schematics, 3D renderings, interior planning, landscape planning, cost estimates, code reviews, ADA accessibility reviews, and construction and bid documents.
RATIO is partnering with several local companies for the project.
The city estimates that it will take 20 weeks to complete the design and development phase and about another 20 weeks to prepare documents, bid out the project and begin construction on a new city hall, which is expected to be complete in 2018.