Town officials, dignitaries and the public ushered in a new era in Garner Tuesday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Town Hall.
“This is the people’s building,” Mayor Ronnie Williams said.
Addressing Garner citizens who voted overwhelmingly for the bonds to pay for the new municipal building, Mayor Williams said: “We must acknowledge and thank you for authorizing the funds to build this new Town Hall.”
The two-story, 26,000-square-foot building, located on the site of the previous Town Hall, houses seven of the Town’s 11 departments and includes Garner’s Town Council Chambers. The building also features an expanded bill payment area and a central customer-service intake point for people seeking the development services provided by the Planning and Inspections departments.
Town staff have been working out of the building for about two months and are able to take advantage of technology upgrades in conference rooms and elsewhere to work more efficiently for the citizens they serve.
The new Town Hall, with an approximate budget of $7.5 million, was funded by proceeds from Public Safety and Services Facilities Bonds, which were approved by 75 percent of voters in a March 2013 special election. Those bonds also were used to fund construction of the police station at 912 7th Ave. That building opened its doors in December 2015.
Three other referendums in that March 2013 election—for Street and Sidewalk Improvement Bonds, Parks and Recreational Bonds and Redevelopment Bonds—won by similarly large margins, ranging from 66 percent support (Redevelopment Bonds) to 73 percent support (Street and Sidewalk Bonds).
Town Hall is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Town Council regular meetings are the first Monday of the month and the Tuesday immediately following the third Monday of the month at 7 p.m. inside the Council Chambers. The Council’s work sessions, also public meetings, are held the last Tuesday of the month in the Council Chambers starting at 6 p.m.
There will be a Town Hall open house event for the public at a later date.
ADW Architects of Charlotte designed the new building. Resolute Building Company of Chapel Hill served as general contractor for the project.
