New Yorkville City Council Chambers an impressive space for conducting business

YORKVILLE – The Yorkville City Council Chambers inside the City Hall building at 800 Game Farm Road is a very utilitarian space, but is ultimately rather unimpressive.

That’s about to change as the city moves into its new home at 651 Prairie Pointe Drive on the city’s northeast side.

The council chambers, located on the third floor of the renovated office building that has been transformed into the municipal government’s new home, will provide aldermen and the visiting public with professional surroundings in which to conduct the city’s business.

Aldermen, the mayor, city clerk and city attorney will sit on a dais with high-backed chairs. To one side on the raised platform will be additional seating for top city staff members.

The room has a capacity of about 90 people, City Administrator Bart Olson said. However, adjacent conference rooms with video links will allow for an overflow of another 40 or 50 people, he added.

In a building that has tight security features, the council chambers will be one of the few readily accessible areas of the building for the public.

Visitors entering the building will be greeted by two service desks inside the main lobby, both protected by bullet-resistant glass.

One is for the Yorkville Police Department, which covers almost all of the first floor and most of the second.

The other is the City Services desk, which handles utility billing and other resident needs, and is the first point of contact for contractors, developers and others doing business with the city.

The city of Yorkville spent $1.9 million to purchase the 44,000-square-foot building. With the renovations and modifications, the total cost will be $10.5 million.

“We’re maximizing the dollars spent and we won’t have to build again for decades.”

—  Bart Olson, Yorkville city administrator

If the city had constructed a new building, the cost would easily have been twice as much Olson said.

“We’re maximizing the dollars spent and we won’t have to build again for decades,” Olson said.

There are offices, conference rooms and work areas for the Community Development Department on the second floor.

On the top floor, with broad views of the surrounding landscape are offices for the mayor, city clerk finance director, parks and recreation superintendent and other city employees.

During a tour of the building, Olson often pointed to office spaces that required only paint, carpeting and furnishings. Even wooden door and window frames were left in place, minimizing the cost, he said.

While the transfer to the new facility has already begun, the big moving day for the police and city offices will be April 20, with the building to be open to the public starting April 23.