Yorkville City Hall project moves closer to completion

YORKVILLE – As renovations continue apace, Yorkville city leaders are starting to think about what it will be like when they occupy the new Yorkville City Hall and police headquarters.

The target for moving into the building at 651 Prairie Point Drive remains before the end of the year but the day has not yet been set.

“The move-in date is still a little loose,” City Administrator Bart Olson told the Yorkville City Council on Sept. 13.

Aldermen approved a series of change orders on the project, which is designed to transform the three-story, 41,000-square-foot office building into the new home for the city’s administration and police force.

The city spent $1.9 million to purchase the building, which sits on a 4-acre site and is surrounded by about 200 parking spaces.

City officials say that when complete, they will have invested about $10 million in a project that would have cost twice as much had a new building been built.

“We will still come in under budget,” Olson told aldermen.

The vacant office structure on the northeast side of the city was built in 2007 and was most recently used as a COVID-19 vaccination hub by the Kendall County Health Department.

The renovated facility will be designed to replace the overcrowded city hall and police station at 800 Game Farm Road on the northwest side of the community.

A bond sale by the city is covering the purchase price and most of the renovation costs.

The city issued bonds for $8.25 million and received a $400,000 premium, producing a total of $8.65 million for the building project.

After subtracting the purchase price, the city had about $6.65 million for the renovation work, which includes the building interior and repaving the parking lot.

There will be publicly accessible areas on all three levels of the building.

More than half of the first floor will be occupied by the police department.

The city administration will occupy a smaller portion of the first floor, with space for the utility billing department as well as meeting rooms and work areas.

Much of the second floor will be home to the city’s Community Development Department, including offices for planners, building inspectors and code enforcement officers.

The second floor also will provide additional office space for the police department.

The third floor will become the heart of the city government. On this level will be offices for the mayor, city administrator, city clerk, finance director and economic development director.

There also will be office space for the city’s purchasing manager, facilities manager, superintendent of recreation and the director of parks and recreation.

Central to the third floor’s layout will be the new City Council chambers, with a large seating area for the public.

The council chambers will be flanked by two large meeting rooms as well as a private room for city officials to conduct executive sessions when discussing litigation, personnel issues and real estate purchases or sales.