UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. — New renovations are coming to University City's municipal court building and police department in what city leaders call the "largest capital project to date."
On June 10, the mayor and councilmembers held a final vote and passed the renovation plan 6-1; the sole opposing vote came from Ward 3 Councilmember Bwayne Smotherson.
This comes after University City hosted a town hall in May about the renovation project they say has been 44 years in the making.
Residents in University City said they would have liked to have the chance to vote on whether to do renovations to old buildings or to build new ones for the police department and municipal court building which was housed inside of the Trinity Building.
The city conducted the initial study to revitalize the Annex and Trinity Buildings in 1980. No actions were taken and the buildings continued to age. A second study was conducted in 2016 for a new construction instead of renovation, but city leaders said it did not address the challenges of finding a suitable location or construction costs as well as the costs for what it would be to demolish the existing structures.
Leaders said in 2017, there were city government changes. In 2019, the city conducted another study by Trivers Architects which gave a building evaluation and space needs analysis. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic put the project on hold even further.
Both the old police annex and the Trinity building hold historical significance. That's why City Manager Gregory Rose said it would be best to renovate them. The annex is 36,000 square feet and three stories high. The Trinity Building sits at two-stories high and is 8, 512 square feet.
Rose said it wouldn't put the land at risk for being lost, and the renovation would be a multi-purpose space that will be utilized for court proceedings, a police headquarters and be available for community use.
Leaders said no decisions have been made to relocate Council Chambers to a new space.
In 2016, the buildings were condemned because of their conditions which included rat infestations, mold. According to this order of condemnation there were also unsafe equipment inside the old police annex building including electrical wiring, flammable liquid containers that officials say caused a safety to the public and occupants. Both the court and police department have been squeezed inside of one trailer which now is failing to be big enough and aging with floors peeling up.
The city manager said the renovation of the two buildings would cost $22 million and won't cost residents any money because they'll utilize revenue the city makes through certificates of participation. If there are additional upgrades that need to be made, the project could end up costing up to $27 million at the highest point. The renovation would include new entrances, additional parking and new interview rooms. Rose said the cost of the project goes up each year it's delayed.
"As the project has been delayed and delayed and delayed and the cost has increased and increased, I believe the mayor and council recognize the urgency based off the cost that it will continue to increase," Rose said.
The renovation could be completed as soon as 2026.
Rose said the reason the decision to include the municipal court in the renovation project was driven by the Supreme Court of Missouri after the Department of Justice's examination of the City of Ferguson following the death of Michael Brown.
Mayor Terry Crow provided the following statement about the renovation project:
"This project has been in the works for a long time. We are finally able to give our dedicated police department the much-needed renovation of their facilities as well as provide our court division with the appropriate space. This upgrade will enable them to move from their temporary facilities to a permanent space allowing them to maintain their exceptional service to the residents of University City in a state-of-the-art space. Without any cost to taxpayers, we can revamp and preserve two historic buildings in our civic plaza and bring them back to life. I am excited about this project and optimistic about University City's future."
Editor's note: This story was updated June 10 to add that city leaders voted 6-1 to pass the renovation plan.
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