By Keysha Drexel
Journal editor
Less than half a year after he first revealed plans for a new City Hall complex, Vestavia Hills Mayor Alberto “Butch” Zaragoza joined other city officials to break ground on the new 57,000-square-foot facility at 1032 Montgomery Highway.
The city hosted a groundbreaking for the new City Hall complex June 25 to kick off the construction phase of the project officials said will help move Vestavia Hills into the future.
“We are no longer a small city, and we’ve needed a new city hall for quite some time,” Zaragoza said.
The current Vestavia Hills City Hall was built in the early 1950s. The city’s staff has outgrown the cramped quarters, Zaragoza said.
The new Vestavia Hills City Hall Complex will consist of two buildings, the mayor said.
A new 26,000-square-foot building will serve as the main City Hall building and will house administration offices, public safety offices, fire administration offices, the city clerk’s office, information technology offices, the City Council’s chambers and a work session room.
The new Vestavia Hills City Hall will be a two-story building with a two-story grand lobby, a stacked stone and precast concrete exterior and a display space to celebrate the city’s history, sports highlights and ongoing events.
There will also be an outdoor amphitheater at the complex for city-sponsored events.
A covered walkway will link the City Hall and the second building in the complex, a 24,000-square-foot facility that will house the city’s police and courts offices.
The two-story building will include space for a courtroom, magistrate’s office, a holding facility and the public records department. A police desk sergeant will be on duty at the police department building to provide service to the community 24 hours a day.
The new City Hall building is being constructed at the site of the former Food World and Joe’s Ranch House on Mayland Lane. The city bought the former Food World site for $1.15 million and the Mayland Lane property for $825,000.
B.L. Harbert is the construction manager for the City Hall complex project, and Birmingham-based Williams Blackstock Architects is the designer.
