Delays for art's sake: city hall move stalls

"The Dec. 18 dedication is off.That’s because the new city hall won’t actually be done until Dec. 19, and nobody will move in for three weeks after that.“The building just hasn’t been ready for the artists,” said Connie Miller, project manager for the selection and installation of public art in the city hall building. “But it’s getting there.”City officials had planned to move into the building in early December. But while contractors will vacate the premises later this month, most of the artists commissioned to add their aesthetic touches to the building need time for installation of their works. One, a hand-crafted, 60-foot-long countertop for the planning department in the building’s main concourse, can’t go in until the counter itself is done. Installation of bronze images in the concourse floor also must wait for other work in the building to be completed.“Everything’s moving along,” Miller said. “It’s just life, as they say.”By the time the artists are done, the holiday season will be in full swing, making a move then impractical, city officials said.So the move has been pushed back a full month. Under a revised schedule announced Monday, most city departments will be closed for a half day Jan. 5, and all day Jan. 6-7. The new building will be open for business Jan. 10, with a public dedication set for later that month.One date that won’t change is a Nov. 19 city hall closure, a day for employees to clean out their own work spaces and continue to winnow down documents and records.Only the police department and municipal court will be open on that day."

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