Located at 4200 Dryden Road, the building was dedicated in 1969. It houses the city government and Moraine Police Department.
Moraine City Manager Mike Davis told this news outlet Friday that “the project was approved due to essential major boiler/HVAC upgrades, security, operational energy efficiencies, office functionality and realignment.
Vietor said construction is expected to start in January. Davis said that work on the building could last about eight to 10 months.
“This is a thorough project and I think it’s very, very good for the city to move forward with the project,” Building and Park Maintenance Superintendent Bobby Engle said during a recent Committee of the Whole meeting. “Good for the citizens and city employees.”
The modernization will boost security for city employees and help the city save money on energy costs, he said. A portion of the building where no insulation exists uses more energy than the firehouses, street department buildings, service building and storage building combined, Engle said.
The city, in its more than five decades in the building, has carried out cosmetic changes to the building, but never any measures to upgrade its infrastructure, Engle said. Handicapped access into the facility and handicapped restrooms within it do not exist, he said.
The modernization project will extend the life of the building for another 40 years or more, Engle said.
Council member Dave Miller said the city’s options included continuing to “band-aid” items when necessary, implement the modernization project or build a new building on the lot next door. Engle said opting for the latter would probably cost more than $12 million.
Moraine City Council voted at its most recent meeting to authorize Davis to enter into a contract with Greater Dayton Construction Group, Inc. to provide materials and services for the project.
Mayor Teri Murphy, the sole council member to vote against the project in the 5-1 vote, said she voted against the modernization because it cost more than what it was projected to cost when it was first discussed in 2022.
Council member Shirley Witt, who abstained from the vote, declined to comment when asked why she did so.
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