The agreement needs some final approvals at least from the federal side, but Kenmore Mayor David Baker and other officials seem confident local leaders finally have struck a deal that should lead to the relocation of the city’s post office.
At least since early spring, Baker and others have been trying to find a new spot for the post office, which currently sits at 6531 N.E. 181st St. That just happens to be the exact location the King County Library System tabbed as the best spot for a new and expanded city library.
As has been reported in the past, the hitch became that the post office had an extended lease on its space and could have stayed pat until 2011, putting a long hold on the library project. Last week, Baker said he and City Manager Frederick Stouder had obtained preliminary approvals at the federal level for the post office to move into what is currently Kenmore City Hall.
If those preliminary approvals become final as both Baker and Stouder felt they would, the post office could be moving into City Hall by early October. Baker said postal officials plan on taking over about half the building, roughly 1,900 square feet.
After completion of some anticipated remodeling, the post office could be up and running in its new location by November. Stouder felt those dates would become more firm in the next few weeks.
“I admire the city of Kenmore, the mayor and the city manager and their perseverance in this matter,” said Bill Ptacek, director of the King County Library System.
Baker and Stouder perhaps have been pushing the hardest to get the post office to move, but also to remain in the city. In June, postal officials were set to announce the Kenmore post office would not be moving, but would simply close in 90 days. Baker and Stouder flew to Washington, D.C., partly on a mission to prevent that from happening.
Eventually, postal officials cancelled their closure plans and instead resurrected the notion of moving the post office essentially across the street to the current Kenmore City Hall.
Earlier this month, Baker and Stouder once more took a trip, this time to postal regional headquarters in Denver.
“The whole process seemed to be moving slowly, so we decided to get on a plane,” Baker said.
If City Hall becomes the post office, one obvious question is what happens to city operations? In the past, Baker and Stouder had talked about temporarily moving Kenmore staff into vacant space in the Kenmore Village shopping plaza adjacent to City Hall. That plan seems to be off the table. Instead, Stouder said officials are working on a short term lease for upper floor space in the historic Schnitzelbank building on Northeast Bothell Way.
Although the post office ultimately may need only half of the existing City Hall, Stouder said all city operations may move temporarily into the Schnitzelbank space. According to Stouder, the reason is that the renovations planned by the post office may necessitate vacating the entire current City Hall. Those renovation costs are not known at this point, but will be carried in whole or in part by the library system, according to Ptacek.
In the course of talks with the post office, Ptacek several times said library officials were ready to pay the freight for relocating the post office.
In terms of the city’s move, Stouder noted Kenmore’s public works and engineering department already are in the Schnitzelbank building. He said the cost of moving all or part of the city’s remaining personnel to the Schnitzelbank was tough to calculate at this point. But Stouder also said the city would be in the building for a maximum of five to six months awaiting completion of the new Kenmore City Hall being constructed at 18120 68th Ave. N.E.
The city broke ground on that building in March and it should be ready for occupancy by spring of next year.
For his part, Ptacek couldn’t have seemed happier. As his comments continued, he several times praised Baker and Stouder for prodding the post office into action. He credited them with reversing the post office’s earlier decision to simply shut down its Kenmore location.
As for the future of the library project, Ptacek said the library system hopes to obtain a building permit from the city this month. Library contractors should begin demolition of the current post office and surrounding buildings in October with a groundbreaking for the new library occurring the following month. Ptacek said if all goes as planned, the new building should be open to the public in late 2010.
If previous plans are followed, the library system intends a 10,000 square foot facility with construction costs of $5.3 million. With purchase of new materials such as books and similar items included, the total cost of the project has been estimated at $10.5 million. The new library will replace the existing facility at 18138 73rd Ave. N.E. Ptacek that building eventually simply will be sold by the library system.
