On May 29, Evanston’s 5th Ward newsletter said city government operations would move out of the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center by September.
At a 5th Ward meeting in May, Economic Development Manager Paul Zalmezak reaffirmed that the city planned to relocate to a temporary civic center at 909 Davis St. in September.
Two months later, the city continued to hold public meetings and offer public services in its historic headquarters at 2100 Ridge Ave.
Now, the city plans to conduct a phased move of city offices from the Morton Civic Center to 909 Davis in the first quarter of 2025, City Engineer Lara Biggs said. The delay is a result of unanticipated construction costs for the temporary downtown location, she added.
“We stopped and took time to assess what was critical for our operation, and then redid the design to be in our budget,” Biggs told The Daily.
City Council initially authorized a 15-year lease with the property in January, later maintaining it in a second vote in February, citing extensive infrastructure needs at the Morton Civic Center.
Cost adjustments cause delay
In a tenants’ agreement with the city, the owners of 909 Davis agreed to fund roughly $5.9 million in upgrades to the building that are necessary for the city to move in, Biggs said.
City spokesperson Cynthia Vargas said the city needed to scale back certain furniture and technology upgrades for the building to meet this target.
The temporary civic center at 909 Davis St. is located in downtown Evanston, between the Davis CTA and Metra stations.
Biggs said equipping the City Council chambers with required data management and broadcasting equipment for recording meetings has been challenging. Aside from the chambers, the second floor of 909 Davis, which is currently being “gutted,” will also house the mayor’s office, city clerk’s office, state representative’s office and Department of Health and Human Services, Deputy City Manager Carina Sánchez said.
Phased move from January to March
Instead of a synchronous move of all city staff into 909 Davis, the city plans to conduct a phased move to acclimate residents and city staff to the new facility, according to Sánchez.
“We wanted to make sure that we didn’t disappear overnight,” Sánchez said. “We know it’s not only going to be a change for us as employees of the City of Evanston, but also for our residents that come to the civic center.”
First to make the switch will be the Collector’s Office, which will occupy the first floor beginning in January. Next, city staff will occupy offices on the third floor in February or early March. Finally, the second floor will host City Council starting in March, Sánchez said.
Representatives from property manager the Lincoln Property Company did not respond to multiple requests for comment about how the property is being remodeled to accommodate city services.
What about Morton?
The ultimate decision, Biggs said, is whether the city will renovate the Morton Civic Center and return after the temporary lease or relocate the civic center permanently.
If the city chose to renovate the 123-year-old Morton Civic Center, the building would require major updates to electrical and HVAC systems. It would also need to comply with modern building codes and the city’s Climate Action and Resilience Plan, Biggs said. The city would also seek to improve accessibility according to Americans with Disabilities Act standards.
All told, fully renovating the Morton Civic Center could cost $62.7 million, according to infrastructure consulting firm AECOM. The renovation would occur while the city occupies its 909 Davis St. offices during its lease. The 15-year lease will cost the City $37.4 million, or $22.8 million if the City ends the lease after seven years, according to a city presentation from the 5th Ward meeting in May.
Alternatively, the city is considering developing an integrated Civic Center and police and fire headquarters at 906 University Place or the site of the Evanston Farmers’ Market, which would cost $105.4 million, according to AECOM’s report.
Ongoing transparency concerns
The city is currently hosting a series of four listening sessions and circulating a survey to gauge public opinion on the future of the Morton Civic Center.
City officials, including Mayor Daniel Biss, faced criticism for initially authorizing the lease as a special order of business in January. In an effort to allay public concern about transparency, Sánchez told The Daily that Evanston residents will play a key role in deciding whether the city will renovate or relocate.
“I want to make it clear that there hasn’t been a decision made,” Sánchez said. “It’s not like we’re guiding anything, as I think some people thought; we’re really here to listen to what residents want, and we really want to hear the feedback.”
Ald. Clare Kelly (1st), a vocal critic of the city’s decision to sign a 15-year lease on a temporary civic center, said she was concerned the city might already have decided on the future of the Morton Civic Center regardless of the listening sessions.
She cited the city’s Open Meetings Act violation, which the Illinois Attorney General’s Office issued in March, as evidence of a broader lack of transparency in the relocation process.
“Daniel Biss mocked me and said, ‘We’re a million miles away from a violation,’” she said in a previous interview with The Daily. “And two weeks later, the Attorney General’s Office issued a violation of the Open Meetings Act for taking a final decision on that in closed session in October. That never should have happened.”
Kelly added that the city could have remained in the Morton Civic Center and conducted phased renovations, avoiding a “gut rehab” and spending less than the projected $62.7 million.
A phased renovation to the Morton Civic Center would not be feasible, Biggs said, due to challenges with isolating the HVAC system to certain areas of the building and noise concerns that could affect productivity.
City staff optimistic
Biggs highlighted 909 Davis’ accessibility, building security and proximity to transit. The move to a temporary location was necessary to address safety concerns, and she is looking forward to the move, she said.
City staff will present the results of the public survey on the future of the Morton Civic Center to City Council in December, Biggs said. From there, a final decision could be made on the future of the historic building as early as next year, she added.
“City Council has actually been really thoughtful in this process and spent a lot of time weighing variables, everything from the safety of the staff to the best service that we can give our community,” Biggs said. “It really is impressive the time they’ve been taking and the questions they’ve been asking.”
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