North Liberty breaks ground on long-awaited city hall

A ceremonial groundbreaking was held Oct. 19 at 360 N. Main St. for the new North Liberty City Hall, a project that took years to materialize. The new facility, which sits between Reds Alehouse and the North Liberty Police Department, will house the city's administrative offices, city council chambers, flexible community space and a public plaza. Initially expected to cost $9.9 million, North Liberty Communications Director Nick Bergus confirmed to the CBJ the project will be less $10 million. He said the city hall will be an all-purpose space for offices, as well as outdoor public places. The groundbreaking marked a significant step forward in completing a 2007 Comprehensive Facilities Plan, as well as signaled the city hall's return to what some of the morning's speakers described as 'Old North Liberty.'

"We've come back to where it all started right here in the heart of North Liberty," said Chris Hoffman, mayor of North Liberty. "We're so very grateful for your patience as we've transformed this part of North Liberty into what we believe will be a vibrant, active and connected part of the city once again." "We've come a long way," said City Administrator Ryan Heiar, noting just this project and a second fire station is all that remains to be completed from the 2007 plan. North Liberty agreed to enter land negotiations to construct a new fire station in July at a four-acre site near Centennial Park. Mr. Heair acknowledged the city hall has been located at a series of spots over the years including the current police department, a farmhouse-turned-doctor's office, and its current leased space along Ranshaw Way. "The intention when we moved in 2010 to our Ranshaw Way location...was that we'd be here three to five years," he explained. "It was a bit of a running joke in our office every year we would say three to five years. We just kept kicking the can down the road. So to say that we're excited this morning...is an understatement."

As part of the new civic campus, the city hall is designed to bring sprawled out departments — such as city clerks, administration planning, building inspection and permits, legal, councilmembers and the communications office — together under one roof, as well as in close proximity to the local police and fire stations. The possibility remains for City Hall to double in size in the future by expanding into some of the civic center's open space, though there is no timetable for that to happen. Construction began a "couple weeks back," said Nick Bergus. The city anticipates an April 2024 unveiling.