Instead of moving forward with potentially exorbitant changes, City Council voted 7-1 to advance dialogue about eliminating the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center as an option for future city operations Monday.
The council added the topic to its agenda for discussion at its Feb. 24 meeting, and it will appear for a vote on March 10.
The aging former schoolhouse — where city operations have taken place since 1979 — would likely require an overhaul for further use.
The potential move to permanently relocate from the antiqued structure follows Thursday’s announcement that city operations would be relocated to 909 Davis St. from the Civic Center at 2100 Ridge Ave. by April 1.
At the meeting, Ald. Jonathan Nieuwsma (4th) initially raised the issue after City Engineer Lara Biggs presented 20-year total cost options for the future of city operations from a relocation feasibility study. The report indicated that a Civic Center renovation would cost an estimated $71 million in capital cost/rent, whereas leasing the 909 Davis St. space would require $22.1 million.
The Civic Center needs a gut renovation — typically a significant remodeling operation — to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Climate Action and Resilience Plan, fire prevention codes and Life Safety Code, according to Biggs.
The city will also consider a multi-floor City Hall at the planned 900 Clark St. development — costing $43 million — or a plan to renovate the Evanston Public Library for a joint library and City Hall.
Nieuwsma said formally ruling out the Civic Center for future city operations would allow the council to focus on alternative uses for the building. He suggested that the Civic Center could better serve the community as a mixed-income development.
Nieuwsma also said he does not know where they will relocate in the long term. He added that he does not want the Civic Center to be vacant if the council is confident that operations will not return.
“We have done everything we can to leave no stone unturned trying to find a way to make it work here,” Nieuwsma said. “Given the numbers we are looking at, staying in this building long-term just does not make sense.”
Nieuwsma initially proposed the topic as a special order of business for the council’s Feb. 24 meeting, but Ald. Tom Suffredin (6th) pushed back, questioning why the topic must be decided so quickly. The 909 Davis St. lease was also authorized via a special order of business.
Suffredin — who said he understands the fatigue surrounding the subject — added that the council could be criticized for its lack of transparency. He agreed that the likelihood of city operations returning to the Civic Center is low, but said Nieuwsma’s approach to the topic could be amended.
“This is probably not the way to do this if you want to do this,” Sufferdin said. “You don’t want to diminish our relationship with the residents that we serve.”
Eventually, Ald. Juan Geracaris (9th) successfully motioned for a friendly amendment to have the topic appear as a discussion and action item in the coming sessions.
Ald. Clare Kelly (1st) was the only councilmember to vote against the final action. She cited a report from Redmond Construction — which estimated the cost to update the building at around $35 to $40 million during a December 2024 walk through.
Biggs countered Kelly, saying the firm’s walkthrough was not as thorough as the city-hired contractors’ work. Still, Kelly said she wanted estimates on only what is “needed,” resisting the proposition that the existing Civic Center needs a gut rehab.
Kelly was most concerned about the city’s lack of transparency.
“Shoving this through as a special order of business, it just smells bad,” Kelly said.
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