As part of a wider facilities improvement and renovation project at city buildings, Olathe will also be updating its city hall on Santa Fe Street over the next several months.
While most of the work will focus on city employee areas, there may be some impact to the public-facing portions of the buildings.
Olathe spending $7.5 million on city facility renovations
- In all, Olathe has set aside $7.5 million for the project, financed in part with cash and from general obligation bonds.
- That money will cover updates to city hall in downtown Olathe, as well as the campus on Robinson Drive that houses public works and other city divisions, the Fire Administration building on the city’s public safety campus near Old 56 Highway and Harrison Street and the city’s community center.
- It also includes the cost of leasing temporary office space at 119th Street and Renner Boulevard in Karbank’s Tech Park following the sale of the old IT office building on Kansas Avenue, which will now be used as a Third Street Social restaurant location.
- The price tag is about $3.3 million more than initially anticipated when the project was first approved in January, in part because of the additional leased office space and escalated project costs, city staff have said.
- The Olathe City Council voted 6-0 to approve the additional funds in September.
What’s happening at Olathe City Hall?
Work on Olathe City Hall is starting this month, and it will include interior improvements as well as upgrades to the building’s aging HVAC system, said Jimmy Mack, Olathe’s strategic communications manager, in an email to the Post.
City Hall will also be getting a new roof.
During the construction period — which will last until next summer — all public-facing offices like the city clerk and customer service desks, as well as planning services, will remain at City Hall. However, they may be temporarily relocated within the building while their usual spaces are worked on.
“There will be directional signage within City Hall to help members of the public find these temporary locations,” Mack said.
Some parts of the building will be getting new carpet, new paint, as well as replacement furniture. Additionally, an angled window will be added from the city clerk’s office facing into the lobby.
For now, Mack said, there are no anticipated impacts to the council chamber room where both the city council and the Olathe Planning Commission hold their meetings.
“[S]hould there be a need to move either meeting to a different temporary location that information will be posted in advance,” Mack said, directing people to the city’s social media accounts and the city website.
One key feature of the upgrade, which deputy public works director Zach Hardy pointed out in a September presentation to the city council, is the conversion of old storage space on the city hall’s garden level into a gym and fitness space for city staff to use, as well as a nursing mother’s room.
Find where affected city departments are located during the construction here.
What’s happening at other Olathe buildings?
- The Fire Administration building is expected to see extensive reconfigurations to put groups that work together in proximity to each other. The building will also be getting new furniture to replace its current furniture that is at least 25 years old.
- At the Robinson building, the public entrance will move to make way for the city’s combined well-being center for physical and mental health. Additionally, some offices in the building will be relocated or repurposed.
- And, at the Olathe Community Center, the treehouse has already been relocated in the building to make space for more offices in the building.
Looking ahead:
- Work at the Fire Administration building will wrap up next month, while much of the renovating will last into early next year at other city facilities.
- As Olathe restructures some of its departments, it is preparing to commence a study to assess city staff workspace and city facility needs going into the future, City Manager Michael Wilkes has indicated.
- Additionally, the city will need a more permanent solution for the departments that are relocating to the temporary leased office space.
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