Committee hears plans to convert classroom to conference room and schedules city hall fire alarm work

Tim, a city staff member, briefed the Pataskala City Buildings and Grounds Committee on several facility improvements the city is considering and on the status of a planned city hall fire alarm replacement.

Tim said the committee is considering converting one upstairs classroom into a larger conference room for executive sessions, soundproofing the old clerk’s office to permit small executive sessions there, and subdividing the current conference room to provide an additional office for planning and zoning. "It's where we would meet for executive sessions," Tim said of the proposed classroom conversion.

He said the city has about $10,000 in the budget this year earmarked for design-related work and that he has a contact for a commercial real-estate architect to provide cost estimates and a plan; the city would bid the work and likely perform construction next year.

On the fire alarm, Tim said bids have been received and awarded; installation will begin once the ordered equipment arrives and the work is expected to occur this spring and could be done by May, though supply-chain delays could push the schedule. "That will be starting as soon as all of the equipment... arrives, and that'll happen this spring," he said.

Tim framed most of the building items as informational and asked only to make the committee aware since the changes fall within his discretion. There was no formal action recorded on the classroom or soundproofing items at the meeting; the committee received the updates and had no objections.

Next steps: staff will obtain an estimate from an architect, incorporate design work into next year’s bidding schedule, and proceed with fire alarm installation as equipment becomes available.