Updated Aug. 27, 4:25 p.m.–
Several hundred residents, regional leaders, and city staff gathered outside the newly completed city hall Thursday morning for an official dedication ceremony and tours of the 35,000-square-feet building.
“In a few months Citrus Heights will be celebrating its 20th anniversary and I really think we did it right,” outgoing City Manager Henry Tingle told the crowd. “We took our time, we set our priorities, and we followed our strategic plan to the tee — and this is the results of it.”
After an opening dedication prayer by Pastor Craig Sweeney of Bayside Church of Citrus Heights, Developer Rod Johnson of Capital Partners Development Co. shared details and highlights of the $22 million project. The developer drew attention to the 38-foot tower and city seal above the main entrance, described oak leaf patterns on the 25-foot-wide fountain, highlighted solar panels on the roof, and discussed ADA-compliant design and other architectural features.
The new hall, located at 6360 Fountain Square Dr., was also designed for energy efficiency and boasts LEED Gold certification. Additionally, the large 10.9-acre parcel it’s constructed on features a 4,000-square-foot utility yard and another 4.5 acres for potential future development.
The event was a mix of highlights about the new building and what seemed to be somewhat of a retirement ceremony for Tingle. With tears in her eyes, Mayor Jeannie Bruins called the event a “bittersweet” moment, in light of the city manager’s announcement earlier this year that he would be retiring on Sept. 30.
[See prior story: Citrus Heights city manager announces plans to retire]
“This is a momentous occasion, but in a month-and-a-half we’re going to have another momentous occasion,” Mayor Bruins told the audience. “It’s going to be a little bittersweet when we say goodbye to our city manager that we’ve known for the last 18 years.”
She said three municipal buildings have been constructed and completed under Tingle’s leadership, highlighting that all were constructed without incurring any debt. A plaque and photo in honor of Tingle was unveiled, with Mayor Bruins stating that the city manager’s impact on Citrus Heights “will be recognized for generations to come.”
Tingle, 60, was appointed city manager in 1999 and has been praised throughout the years by city and community leaders for his strong fiscal responsibility and keeping the city out of debt. He will be replaced on Oct. 1 by the City’s current police chief, Christopher Boyd.
[Related: Citrus Heights council appoints police chief as new city manager]
City hall was closed for official business until noon on Thursday, allowing for residents and other attendees to take a tour through the new facility. Resident Beryl Hulsey, who’s lived in Citrus Heights since 1969, described the new building as “unbelievable” and beautiful inside and out.
Indoor tours showed off the large city council chambers, new community meeting room, office and cubicle areas for staff, management offices, and an expansive one-stop public counter for building permits and access to other services.
“I think they’ve done a beautiful job,” Hulsey told The Sentinel, while seated outside next to the fountain. Her friend, Bert, described the hall as “very functional, as opposed to glitzy,” and said offices seemed reasonably sized rather than “extravagant.”
Even resident Norman Hill, who initially sued the City over the project, said he was “pleased” with how the new hall turned out. The lawsuit was settled earlier this year after several changes were made, including provisions for a potential rose garden and modifications to a related medical office building project in place of the old city hall.
Background
The new hall is part of a larger $53.2 million project approved by city council members in March 2015, which also included a new three-story Dignity Health medical office building at the corner of Fountain Square Drive and Greenback Lane. As part of the deal, the medical building will generate $6.9 million in lease payments to the City over the next 15 years, according to the city manager’s office.
The initial proposal to demolish and move the existing city hall drew significant opposition from residents in 2014, with the formation of a “Save City Hall” campaign and threat of litigation. Opponents expressed concern about cost, location, traffic impacts, and the medical building “monstrosity.”
[From May, 2014: City takes heat from residents over controversial new city hall proposal]
The initial location for the new hall was proposed for a residential-zoned lot on Antelope Road near Mariposa Avenue, but the site was opposed by vocal residents who wanted to keep the existing city hall building and also keep city hall near the police department and community center. City officials said maintaining the existing hall would have cost millions of dollars in repairs and also would have caused the City to miss a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to get a new hall partially subsidized by the Dignity Health offer.
Opposition to the new city hall proposal noticeably dwindled after Capital Partners made an offer to build the new hall where it now sits on Fountain Square Drive, just a block away from the old city hall. The new location received largely positive feedback from community members and the project was unanimously approved by the city council several months later — although some resident criticism remained about the medical building.
The Dignity Health building has yet to break ground, but the project is expected to begin sometime this Fall, according to the latest update from the city manager’s office. The project will be overseen by Panattoni Development Co. and is estimated to take 18 to 24 months to complete, once construction begins.
>>Sign up for our free Weekend Edition to get all our local stories sent to your inbox each Sunday.
