City leaders have talked for years about what to do about Wauwatosa's aging City Hall and library complex at the corner of North and Wauwatosa avenues. Now that they have four detailed proposals in front of them, they are seeking the public's input before a possible vote in late July.
"After more than 10 years of community conversation, Wauwatosa is nearing a decision on the future of the Wauwatosa Public Library and City Hall building," the city said this week in a news release. "The city is currently looking for community feedback on four design concepts that outline options for repairing, modernizing, and functionally improving the shared municipal complex."
The primary way the city is taking input is on its project webpage here. It outlines the details of the four proposals, which Tosa Forward News has summarized here. On the same project page, the city is inviting the public to ask questions and follow the answers provided by city officials.
Voters also can contact their Common Council members directly. Contact information is available here.
The four proposals range from an option that only catches up on deferred maintenance, at a cost of $36.1 million, to the most expensive option that would entail building a new Wauwatosa Public Library and City Hall for $107.2 million.
The other two options fall in the middle, but both would be more than twice the cost of the deferred maintenance option. One would build a new library where the current City Hall sits while moving city offices into the existing library facility, which would be remodeled, for $95.7 million. The other option would keep the existing building but fully remodel both the library and City Hall at a cost of $75.8 million.