When City Manager Gary Suiter walked into his office in the new Steamboat Springs City Hall on Wednesday, he wanted to make sure he made the most of every moment.
Suiter, who has about a week left before he retires, described the building at 10th Street and Lincoln Avenue as beautiful.
“I’ve been in my new office for probably about 30 minutes now just setting it up and trying to get my files in, but it’s just exciting,” he said.
Suiter was just one of the city employees moving into the new facility, which will officially open Friday after 18 months of construction. The new location will become the hub for municipal services in Steamboat Springs.
Upon entering the building, guests will enter a modern reception area with a front desk and enhanced security measures. The building brings together all the various government services in one place, meaning a one-stop experience for residents to access all city departments.
The offices of the city manager and deputy city manager are both located on the first floor, which includes several conference rooms that will be used by city staff and are available for public meetings.
Suiter said the building also offers public restrooms, indoor and outdoor meeting spaces and four EV charging points to expand the options available on the west end of the center.
The city clerk, public works, planning and financial services — including sales tax and utility billing — will be on the second floor with intergovernmental services, grants, communications and sustainability offices on the third floor.
Light pours into the ground floor through large storefront windows that, along with the open space, are key features on all three floors of the new building. Each floor has a color theme with the first floor representing the blues of the river, the second the greens and golds of the forest, and the third the oranges mimicking the sky during a scenic Yampa Valley sunset.
“It’s designed to bring different departments together, so there’s a lot more efficiency and synergy between departments like planning, engineering and finance that all work very closely together,” said Tom Leeson, deputy city manager, who will took over Suiter on an interim basis at the end of the month. “Being able to have everyone in one place for that much-needed collaboration is just a huge opportunity, and the other thing is it creates a one-stop shop for the public. “
The new building features the latest in energy efficiency and sustainability, as well as new public amenities. Suiter said the building features energy-efficient lighting, a modern indoor air system and enhanced security.
There is a covered bike storage area for employees who ride their bike to work, as well as a locker room with showers so employees have a place to clean up after going to work in the morning or going out. to exercise at lunch.
The third floor features the Alpenglow break room that allows employees to enjoy lunch inside or on the outdoor rooftop patio, both of which offer great views of Lincoln Avenue, Howelsen Hill and Steamboat Ski Resort.
The city was also able to transform a two-block section of downtown by creating an outdoor civic plaza connecting city hall, the fire station and the existing Centennial Hall, which was built between 1999 and 2000. That building will now house human services, the city’s legal department and the municipal court.
“The opportunity we had here is literally once in a lifetime,” Suiter said. “We had an opportunity to use this half a city block that we owned, saving us somewhere between $4-5 million … to create a campus here. We were able to save money for the fire station from the fire mill collection tax and partner with the fire district by paying cash for the fire station and building the town hall and doing it as a whole complex for only $5 million in debt and no tax increase.”
The final cost for the city hall was $17 million, which was funded through reserves, grants, and the Infrastructure Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. The Civic Square cost $450,000 and was fully funded by the grant. The new fire station, scheduled to open at the end of the month, cost about $20 million.
Suiter and Leeson credited City Council members, including former members, for recognizing and moving forward with the possibility of replacing the existing city hall and fire station, which they said are outdated.
“The new facility anchors local government as a town center and will be something the community can be extremely proud of,” Leeson said. “This project is an excellent example of sustainable construction practices used throughout the process, from design, demolition to construction and finally operations.”
John F. Russell is business reporter at Steamboat Pilot & Today. To reach him, call 970-871-4209, email jrussell@SteamboatPilot.com or follow him on Twitter @Framp1966.
