Council split on firm's input on City Hall design

Whitefish city councilors quarreled last week over how heavily to rely on input from a consulting firm for the design of the new City Hall building.

The argument split the four councilors who were present at the Nov. 2 meeting. The rift was over whether more consideration should be given to comments made by Crandall Arambula on the preliminary building designs created by Mosaic Architecture.

Crandall Arambula is the Portland-Ore.-based planning consultant hired by the city to update the city’s downtown master plan. The city recently amended its contract with Crandall Arambula to continue work on the master plan. The firm crafted the original master plan adopted in 2006.

Mosaic Architecture is the Helena-based architectural firm hired by the city to design a new City Hall and parking structure. Mosaic rose to the top of a design competition last year in which they presented their vision for the building.

Councilors Jen Frandsen and John Anderson said they wanted more consideration of comments made by Crandall Arambula and changes to be reflected in conceptual designs.

Councilors Richard Hildner and Andy Fuery, however, said it was time to move on and let Mosaic do its job.

“Mosaic is our architect — they are the ones that we have hired to do this work for us,” Hildner said. “Crandall Arambula are moving into the position of choosing paint colors.”

Councilor Anderson fired back.

“Saying ‘picking paint colors’ is unnecessary hyperbole,” he said to Hildner. “I think that casts this particular decision in a bad light. I’m not concerned with paint colors at this point, but I am concerned about how the building sits on the site.”

Frandsen said the Crandall Arambula input was for how City Hall fits into downtown and that needs more consideration.

“I respect that Mosaic is our architect,” she said. “But we did award a contract amendment to Crandall Arambula to provide that feedback.”

Councilor Fuery said he never intended for Crandall Arambula to give opinions on the interior layout of the building, but how the building functions with the downtown master plan.

“Too many cooks in the kitchen do spoil the pot,” he said. “Professional egos get in the way and we need to be very conscious of that.”

Councilors Frank Sweeney and Pam Barberis were absent from the meeting.

Cost estimates for the combined City Hall and parking structure are about $14.6 million for a three-story building with a full basement.

One thing council did agree on was to wait to make a decision on approving a conceptual design until the full council could be present at the Nov. 17 meeting. It also delayed a decision on a contract with Mosaic to proceed to schematic design and development phase.

Crandall Arambula provided a critique of two conceptual designs for City Hall. The firm made comments on the designs it said were based on design principles in the master plan. It made suggestions such as reconfiguring the layout of City Hall, reducing the overall square footage of the building and changes to planned retail space within the building.

Mosaic architect Ben Tintinger previously said the comments were taken into advisement, and that comments on the two conceptual designs would be used to create a new blended design that has been referred to as scheme 1.5.

The City Hall committee reviewed the updated 1.5 design and recommended the design for approval. The difference of opinion last week led to council pulling back on a previous preliminary OK of the 1.5 conceptual design following further review by the committee.

Councilors Anderson and Frandsen said they weren’t satisfied with the 1.5 design and wanted more changes based upon Crandall Arambula comments.

“We have comments from Crandall Arambula and I think they’re good comments,” Anderson said. “I tend to agree that I would like to see 1.5 have those integrated.”

Frandsen said she was concerned that the conceptual design would set in stone the schematic designs that will come next in the design process.

“Do we kick this back and go a little further until it’s something we feel comfortable with,” she said. “Because right now I don’t feel comfortable.”

One of the biggest points of discussion has been the southwest corner of the building.

Mosaic’s scheme 1.5 shows the main entrance to City Hall at the corner of East Second Street and Baker Avenue. The design has the building stepped back on the lot to create space for a wide sidewalk and small outdoor courtyard with landscaping.

The Crandall Arambula critique disagrees with this design element that was similar in scheme 1. The memo says that this pushback of the building is foreign to the historic character of the downtown.

City Manager Chuck Stearns cautioned council that delaying of decisions at this stage of design could mean delays in construction later. A goal to break ground next spring could be out of reach if the steps are pushed back, he said.

“If there is no approval on the conceptual design then they can’t proceed on to schematic design and the next two phases,” he said. “Don’t be surprised how ever long each step takes has significant consequences on when construction begins.”

Stearns said Mosaic has already scheduled for geotechnical drilling this month and not going forward with that would push drilling back several months.

Council did agree to fund the geotechnical drilling up to a cost of $120,000.

Council also voted to approve using the “construction-manager-at-risk” model for the construction of the building and parking structure.

Historically the city has used the “design-bid-build” method, which involves designing the building then awarding the construction contract to the lowest responsible bidder. However, the construction manager method brings on a general contractor earlier in the process and the manager guarantees the price for the entire project.

Stearns recommended the construction manager saying the method of bidding and construction would benefit the City Hall and parking structure by getting a construction company involved early. That way difficult issues such as costs, staging areas, street closures and staff relocation could be better explored, he noted in his memo to council.