The City of Williamsburg has settled on a plan for the construction of the new Stryker Center.
The Williamsburg City Council unanimously approved Thursday a comprehensive agreement with contractor Daniel & Company, Inc. for the demolition of the Stryker Building and the construction of the Stryker Center at 412 N. Boundary St.
Once completed, the Stryker Center will house new chambers for the City Council, along with gallery and display space for the Williamsburg Regional Library. Construction of the new building is expected to take about 10 months.
Under the approved agreement, the total cost of construction is projected at $5,730,350. Last fall, the city agreed to a 15-year loan for $5 million with a 2.6 percent fixed interest rate with Carter Bank for the project.
That figure exceeds the original total recommended by staff by $35,350 but remains within the $6.25 million originally budgeted for the new building. In their proposal to council, Daniel & Company and architectural firm Stemann-Pease offered three potential alterations to the plan. Council members chose to substitute granite exterior stairs and risers instead of precast concrete stairs, raising the project’s dollar figure.
“It seems to me that one of the things we talked about early on are, ‘What are those visual signals that tie this area together?’” Mayor Clyde Haulman said. “To me, because that granite is used in the fountain areas, it’s used on the community building, that using it here seems to me to create those visual links that are important.”
Two other alterations would have lowered the cost. One would have substituted brick veneer for precast concrete cladding on seven exterior columns, lowering construction costs by $47,900. The other would have used carpeting instead of cork flooring for the building’s main hallway, saving $5,500.
Council members agreed the Stryker Center was too important of a building to be stingy in allocating funds.
“This isn’t the time, in my mind, to cut a corner that might somehow — even in a slight way — diminish a building that should have a 50- or so year lifespan and is such a visible and important part of that community center,” Vice Mayor Paul Freiling said.
Council members also voted to accept a staff recommendation to hire an outside project manager for construction. City Manager Jack Tuttle said an insufficiency in city staffing levels prevented the city from managing the project in-house. Tuttle estimated the cost of hiring an outside manager at $192,920, which would be drawn from the city’s capital contingency budget.
The City Council approved the resolution in a 4-1 vote, with Councilman Douglas Pons the lone dissenter.
“I just wonder, is there an alternative we could have considered?” Pons said. “I guess I’m just not comfortable spending this without seeing some options and having more discussion.”
The approval of the comprehensive agreement clears the way for construction to begin on the Stryker Center, a process originally scheduled to commence in April or May. Delays in finalizing the guaranteed price of construction with the contractor pushed back the work start date.
In October, the city and Daniel & Company entered into a temporary agreement to begin the demolition of the old Stryker Building, which was completed last week.
Related Coverage:
- Crews Begin Work to Level City’s Stryker Building
- Stryker Demolition Scheduled for Mid-October
- City: No Firm Date Set for Stryker Demolition
- Stryker Demolition Slated for August
- Architectural Review Board Approves Stryker Center Design
- Rough Timeline of Stryker Construction Emerges; New Council Meeting Place to Come
- City Signs Interim Stryker Agreement with Stemann-Pease
- City Picks Stemann-Pease for Stryker Design
- Citizens Given a Chance to Speak on Stryker Plans
- Public: Stemann-Pease is Favorite Stryker Plan
- City Chooses Carter Bank to Fund Stryker Center Project
- City Seeking $5 Million Bond for New Stryker Center
- City Council Members Sound Off on Stryker Project
- City Council: Stryker Center Second Floor Not Being Pursued
