Ocoee leaders choose designer for new City Hall

Wharton-Smith Inc Construction Group will help with design-build services for the new Ocoee City Hall.

By Eric Gutierrez
| 6:11 p.m. October 24, 2018

West Orange Times & Observer
News

Ocoee commissioners have chosen a firm to help design the city’s new City Hall.

This is the city hall design that Wharton-Smith, Inc. and HunterBrady Architects submitted as part of the Request for Proposal process for the new City Hall. This is not a final design for the building.

City leaders voted unanimously during the Oct. 16 commission meeting to select Wharton-Smith Inc. Construction Group for design-build services for the new Ocoee City Hall. Of the three design-build firms that submitted proposals, the city’s Evaluation Committee unanimously voted Wharton-Smith as the top-ranked firm for the project. Additionally, Wharton-Smith will partner with HuntonBrady Architects for the project.

Support Services Director Al Butler said Wharton-Smith and the two other firms were tasked with creating a design based on criteria authored by Zyscovich Architects, which also evaluated the proposals.

“One of the things I want to emphasize here is that they were asked to design a product based on the design criteria package without being able to speak to anyone in the city,” Butler said. “We were looking for a company that would design a building based on what we had told them, so this isn’t the final design. I want to emphasize that now we start the design process once we negotiate a contract. So, there’s several more decision points that we’ll bring back to you.”

Butler emphasized commissioners were not selecting a design for the new city hall; only the firm that will design it.

“There’s several more decision points where we’ll be bringing this (project) back to you … to decide how and whether or not to move forward,” Butler said.

“This building is going to make a statement — one way or another — about the city of Ocoee,” said Danny Gordon, of HunterBrady Architects. “It is going to be a legacy architectural statement. This is going to be a once-in-a-generation building, so as we go through the design process, it will be very important to us to be able to collaborate. … We really want to draw out of the city of Ocoee what it is that the city of Ocoee wants to look like.”

Gordon added the design and construction process would take about 17 months. The design and bidding process would take about five months, and construction would take about 12 months.

In terms of cost, Butler said the city has budgeted $12 million for the project as a whole — $10 million would go toward the cost of the building itself and $2 million would cover the cost of furnishings, security systems, technology needs and other associated expenses.

The design Wharton-Smith Inc. and HunterBrady Architects presented at the meeting would cost about $11.9 million.

“The proposal that we submitted was based on the (design criteria) program plus some enhancements that weren’t really in the program,” said John Lyons, of Wharton-Smith, adding that the design they submitted had more glass, and other features that added to the overall cost. “We’ve got some things in our (design) that we can take out without affecting any of the functionality, or really, the look of the building.”

IN OTHER NEWS

Mayor Rusty Johnson proclaimed Nov. 3 to 10 as Week of the Family.
Commissioners presented the first reading of two ordinances pertaining to the annexation and rezoning of a 0.68 acre-property located at 735 Center St. The annexation ordinance annexes the property into the city and the rezoning ordinance rezones the property from Orange County R-1 “Low-density Residential” to City of Ocoee R-1A “single-family dwelling.”
City leaders approved unanimously the second readings of two ordinances that pertain to the annexation and rezoning of a 2.59-acre property owned by Innovation Montessori and located at 2336 Fullers Cross Road. The property has been annexed into the city and rezoned from Orange County A-1 to City of Ocoee A-1. The property will be used for recreational fields and overflow parking.
Under the consent agenda, commissioners appointed Bob Briggs to serve as the fifth trustee on the city’s Pension Board. His four-year term will expire Sept. 30, 2022.
City leaders unanimously approved the Forest Lake Estates Phase 2 plant and developer’s and HOA’s agreement for upgraded street lights.
Commissioners awarded a bid in the amount of $368,000 to Broadway Contracting for the expansion of the existing Wastewater Treatment Facility No. 2 Operations Office Building.
The commission approved the renewal of a three-year Enterprise License agreement with Microsoft Enterprise through Software House International. Cost of the renewed agreement is $52,651.80 per year.
To advance construction needed for Founders’ Day, commissioners approved transferring $131,180.18 from the Lakefront Park Improvements Phase 1 project budget to the Lakeshore Center Expansion project budget. The construction of electrical distribution to serve the stage and event sponsor tents is part of Phase 1 of the Lakefront Park Improvement project, but the city recently rejected the single bid received for the project. Phase 1 of the project will be rebid and cannot be completed in time for Founders’ Day. City staff used the available contingency budget from the Lakeshore Center project to address elements needed for Founders’ Day. Said contingency funds need to be replenished by transferring funding from the Lakefront Park Improvements Phase 1 budget to the Lakeshore Center Expansion project budget.
City leaders approved a cost-share grant from the St. Johns River Water Management District for retrofitting the Windermere Groves subdivision with reclaimed water.
Commissioners approved change order No. 1 with Central Florida Tapping and Construction Services for the Kimball Area Water Main Upgrade Project in the amount of $279,151.48.