Calistoga council approves city hall reconfiguration with ADA upgrades and IT work for about $276,300

The Calistoga City Council approved a resolution authorizing a reconfiguration of city hall to accommodate new and reclassified positions, accessibility improvements and IT upgrades.

Cynthia Battenberg presented the preferred option after evaluating six scenarios, including modular units and leasing: the recommended plan reconfigures the existing city-hall footprint (no added square footage) by relocating the city manager and city clerk downstairs and moving the finance department upstairs. The recommended purchase order with Gordian includes construction costs with a 20% set-aside for accessibility improvements required by building code, a furniture budget of $36,800 and IT-system stabilization and phone-transition work.

Batttenberg and staff described IT work that includes upgrades recommended by the city’s IT consultant and a phased transition to Microsoft Teams calling to replace AT&T lines; staff said the Teams plan could save roughly $4,000 per year compared with current arrangements. Total project cost (construction, furniture, IT and 10% contingency) was presented as $276,307, with staff reporting existing budgeted dollars of $370,000 available across two line items in the general fund, leaving the project under the available budget.

Council discussion noted record-management constraints, the trade-offs of reclaiming conference space, and the pragmatic decision to use existing footprint rather than costlier modular or leasing options. The council passed the resolution to authorize the city manager to proceed.

Next steps: the city manager and project team will proceed with procurement and construction planning, including accessibility improvements summarized in the certified-access-specialist report (parking, van-accessible stalls, sidewalk adjustments, front-door access and push-button entry accommodations).