The Wauwatosa Common Council's Finance Committee voted Sept. 23 to recommend hiring a Milwaukee firm, CG Schmidt, to serve as "construction manager" for a major update to the City Hall, Civic Center and Wauwatosa Public Library complex. Hiring the firm would represent a small but notable step forward in a high-profile project that is still years from becoming reality.
The committee voted, 5-2, to recommend paying CG Schmidt $69,200 to fill a preliminary role similar to a general contractor. The firm would work with the city as it reviews potential designs and costs of renovations to the complex and an expansion of the library.
CG Schmidt was one of 10 companies that applied for the contract and one of five companies interviewed by a selection committee, Public Works Director David Simpson told the Finance Committee. Its recommendation now advances to the full Common Council, which is scheduled to vote on Sept. 30.
Video of the committee discussion can be found here. It starts just after the 26-minute mark.
Wauwatosa has spent years considering whether to build a new City Hall or renovate its existing aging building. City officials ultimately decided to keep the facility where it is at 7725 W. North Ave. on one of the most prominent corners in the city.
Then in February 2024, the Common Council authorized up to $500,000 to begin designing what would be the building’s first major update in more than 30 years. At the time, the final scope and details of such a project remained uncertain, and some council members acknowledged that the project, with an estimated price tag as high as $75 million, might be a tough sell for some taxpayers.
Council members, though, have generally agreed that the existing 118,000-square-foot building, Tosa’s central civic campus, is in need of and overdue for an upgrade.
If CG Schmidt is hired, the city still faces a long path toward completion of the project, which likely would depend on a fundraising campaign for part of the improvements to the library. Simpson, in his presentation to the Finance Committee, said he anticipated the pre-construction phase to extend into 2027, and construction likely wouldn't start any earlier than 2028.
The benefit of hiring a construction manager early in the process, Simpson said, is to help the city navigate the full scope of the project, possibly realizing efficiencies along the way.
Joseph Makhlouf, a council member from District 3, renewed concerns about the potential cost of the project, especially when residents are expecting to see tax increases from school district's recent referendums.
"This is the wrong time," Makhlouf said. The existing City Hall is "old, but it's still functional."
He and Mike Morgan of District 7 voted against hiring CG Schmidt.
Joe Phillips of District 6 was among the majority who voted in favor. "We've been talking about this for a while, and it's good to see it moving forward," Phillips said. "I think it is the right time."
James Moldenhauer of District 1 agreed. "We need to get the ball rolling," he said.
