Maybe you can’t fight City Hall, but you can move it.
Well, if you’re the Kent City Council, you can move it. The council will consider moving Council Chambers and police headquarters across the parking lot that sits between the buildings to the city’s Centennial Center, 400 W. Gowe St., and buying office space for a new municipal services building at the CenterPoint Corporate Park, 20610 68th Ave. S., in north Kent.
The council is scheduled to vote on the purchase and move during a special meeting at 5 p.m. Oct. 8 at City Hall, 220 Fourth Ave. S.
City leaders have been trying to figure out for years how to find more space for the police department and now they have an answer. The council heard a presentation from city staff about the proposal at its Oct. 1 meeting.
These initiatives aim to address current facility deficiencies and space needs, and position the city to better serve its growing population for decades to come, according to a city media release.
“Maintaining the downtown presence of both City Hall and police headquarters is a priority,” Mayor Dana Ralph said. “At the same time, we must plan for the future of other city services in a manner that is reliable, sustainable, and fiscally responsible to our community of residents, businesses and visitors.”
It is anticipated that the cost to purchase and renovate the building at CenterPoint, and to renovate the Centennial Center into a new City Hall to house Council Chambers and police headquarters, will cost between $53.1 million and $60.8 million, according to city documents.
If approved Oct. 8 by the council, the city would purchase the office space for $11.25 million from Boeing Employees Credit Union (BECU), according to city documents.
The office space is empty. BECU used it as a call center prior to the pandemic, but then workers went remote and have stayed remote, Ralph told the Kent Reporter.
The city would fund the purchase of the municipal building and the conversion of the Centennial Center through existing capital funds and the issuance of bonds. The bond issue would be repaid over 30 years from existing funding resources within the city’s capital resource fund, which is a funding source different than that used for ongoing funding of police and other staff.
City Finance Director Paula Painter told the council that this would be one-time money and cannot be used for ongoing day-to-day operations, such as paying for more police officers.
Property tax revenue helps pay for capital projects, such as streets, parks and facilities. The city cannot raise property taxes more than 1% each year due to state restrictions.
The combined investment in a municipal services building at the CenterPoint location and the renovation of the Centennial Center into a new City Hall and police headquarters is projected to cost significantly less than constructing a new building or retrofitting the existing city buildings, according to a city statement.
There is a significant need for space for the Kent Police Department, which is currently housed in a retrofitted 1974 building that originally served as a library, according to a city statement. At the same time, the Kent City Hall building is in need of significant and costly repairs, including a seismic retrofit, plumbing, electrical and elevator improvements. The costs of these needed improvements is significant, and when completed, will not provide for any additional space.
This move would consolidate Kent Police Department operations, which are currently spread across three buildings, and would allow for sufficient space to house officers, detectives, and specialty units, as well as provide space for investigative interview rooms, evidence storage and training.
If the council approves the purchase, the city will co-locate multiple city departments, which are currently split between City Hall and the Centennial Center, into the new municipal services building in CenterPoint. Built in 1983 and renovated in 2003, it offers over 81,000 square feet of office space on a 5.54-acre site, with nearly 350 parking spaces. With capacity for more employees, the building should accommodate Kent’s anticipated growth over the next 20 years.
An expected move-in date is estimated sometime in 2026, with completion of the renovation and conversion of the Centennial Center estimated to occur in 2027, according to a city statement.
Once the move is made, Ralph told the Kent Reporter the current City Hall and police headquarters would sit empty and probably eventually be removed.
“Kent’s investment in these new facilities is about more than just planning for current and future needs. It’s about investing in our community,” Ralph said in a statement. “By addressing our long-standing maintenance challenges and creating spaces that better serve our residents, we’re building a stronger, safer and more connected Kent. This is a bold step forward that will benefit our city for generations to come.”
City leaders tried to get voters to approve a new police station with a 2014 bond measure for $34 million. Voters failed to give the 60-percent approval needed that would have raised property taxes to build a new police station at the same location as the current facility, which was remodeled in 1991 to handle about 75 officers. Although some remodeling has occurred in recent years, the force now has 167 officers.
City leaders over the past few years looked into renovation of the current City Hall, but found it too expensive with major work needed.
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