Demolition Begins on Old City Hall

0
1357
Demolition work got under way this week on the old Hermiston City Hall building. (Photo courtesy of city of Hermiston)

Demolition work began this week on the old Hermiston City Hall building on Second Street.

The building was heavily damaged by smoke during a fire in December 2019. The city is using the lower level of the Hermiston Public Library as a temporary city hall until the new one is built.

The $9.6 million Hermiston City Hall construction project includes:

  • Remodeling the Hermiston Public Library basement for interim office space
  • Demolition of the 1965 city hall building
  • Construction of a new city hall on the same property, including expanded parking lot space
  • Moving the Hermiston Municipal Court to the new city hall
  • Expanding the Hermiston Police Department into the former municipal court space
  • Rebuilding and realigning the parking lot between Banner Bank and city hall
  • Replacing two blocks of aging water and sewer lines under the alley between Main Street and Gladys Avenue. The pipes were first installed between 1920 and 1950 and are due for an upgrade to support the downtown commercial core.

The project is expected to last 18 months with completion estimated between mid-2022 and early 2023.

You can follow the progress of the project online.