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| Current City Hall on 5th floor of the Hedley Building. / LoopNet photo |
Get ready for Troy City Hall to move again. And, for political fireworks to accompany the process.
Mayor Carmella Mantello has informed the City's landlord, First Columbia, that the City "will not be renewing our lease at 433 River Street as we finalize negotiations on a new, permanent home for City Hall.
This is a necessary and procedural step forward in delivering on our promise to provide Troy with a City Hall that reflects the pride and potential of our community."
While declining to announce the intended new location, citing ongoing negotiations for the facility, the mayor's announcement did say it "will be fully accessible, efficient, and fiscally responsible. By moving away from a costly rental situation, we are taking meaningful action to lessen the burden on the taxpayers, while investing in a long-term solution that benefits every Troy resident.
I look forward to sharing our plans within the coming weeks.”
The longtime City Hall building on Monument Square was demolished in 2011. Offices were briefly relocated to a onetime Verizon building near the Troy Police Department on 6th Avenue, then to its current fifth-floor space in the Hedley Building at 433 River Street.
The Republican administration's communications director Alex Horton said the City plans to be in a new home by January 1, 2017. However, any plans for a new home must be approved by City Council and, in typical Troy political style, the battle lines immediately have been drawn along party lines.
City Council President Sue Steele, a Democrat, has scheduled a special Finance Committee meeting for Thursday, June 5, to discuss the matter and along with fellow Democrats on the Council issued a statement saying:
“Terminating the City’s lease for our current City Hall location without a clear, concrete plan for the city’s workforce and operations is premature and deeply irresponsible. We are united in our opposition to the mayor’s announcement and urge her to hit pause until additional details are shared with the full council and taxpayers. We have asked the mayor to disclose details of negotiations, including the property location and owner. With serious issues around financial transparency, missing quarterly reports and unpaid rent during Mantello’s term so far, there are simply too many unanswered questions for us to support this secretive, backroom process.”
What the statement did not address was the requirement in the current lease for the City to notify First Columbia by June 1 -- this Sunday -- if it wanted to vacate the lease before 2029.
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| City Hall built in 1875. / Reditt photo |
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| The now-demolished City Hall on Monument Square. / Wikimedia Commons photo |
In addition to the Monument Square and 6th Avenue locations, Troy has had numerous other administrative locations over the years. Here's a quick history:
- 1845: The first City Hall was located in the Troy Athenaeum.
- Post 1845: City Hall was located in the former Great Northern Hotel.
- 1875: A new City Hall was constructed at State and 3rd streets. It burned down in 1938.
- 1973-2011: A new City Hall was built at 1 Monument Square.
- 2011-2012: After the 2011 demolition of 1 Monument Square, the City moved into the former Verizon building on Sixth Avenue.
- 2012-Present: The City has been operating from the Hedley Building at 433 River Street.
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