Why Mercer Island is permanently closing its city hall

Mercer Island's city hall is closed — for good.

When city officials found asbestos in the HVAC system in April, it was the last straw, adding to a range of other problems in the aging building. City Manager Jessi Bon favored closing the facility entirely, and replacing it. This week, the City Council agreed.

"City Hall was built in 1957 and has been repaired and renovated over the years, with the last major renovation occurring in the late 1980s," Bon said in a statement explaining the reasons behind the decision to close city hall.

"Prior to the asbestos situation, the City Council recognized the need for a replacement strategy for this building .... The building suffers from structural and seismic deficiencies. Almost all the interior walls have been identified as lacking lateral bracing and, unless reinforced, are at risk of failure in the event of seismic activity, potentially rendering the building inoperable. Additionally, the building does not conform with current energy or building code requirements, and multiple building systems are failing or need to be substantially replaced."

City officials expect to begin discussions on how to replace city hall next year. In the meantime, officials are considering proposals to lease facilities from the city of Newcastle for municipal court business. Police operations may be set up in a mobile unit in city hall's parking lot. These decisions have yet to be made.

In April, asbestos was found among broken floor tiles in the city hall's basement. Since then, the city conducted a cleanup and began testing inside the facility. No asbestos was found in air samples throughout the HVAC system, yet it was found in dust collected inside the HVAC. That system was shut of in May.

During this time, the majority of city staff (80%) have been working in-person at various other facilities on Mercer Island. Others are working from home. Plans to move into parts of the city hall were considered, but the costs to do so ranged from $4 million to $10 million.

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