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A preliminary design shows a two-story Town Hall. The council also looked at three-story proposals. Rendering provided

By Hannah Spence

The South Palm Beach Town Council decided at its May meeting to construct a two-story Town Hall instead of a three-story one — while facing opposition from a handful of residents who insisted that renovating the existing structure was all that was needed. 

“It doesn’t seem necessary as of right now,” said Olga Serafimova, who was among a group of about 20 residents who attended the regular Town Council meeting on May 16. “Lots of buildings in our area are a lot older than that. Nobody thinks of tearing them down.”

However, according to Town Manager Jamie Titcomb, a new building is necessary — and he said the town has the data to prove it. 

“It has been determined through multiple studies contracted out by the town over several years that the current facilities were beyond useful functionality and condition,” said Titcomb. 

A renovation of the current building would automatically trigger upgrades needed to meet the current Florida Building Code and more recent FEMA regulations. The cost and rehabilitation studies done prior to the pandemic, along with significant code and FEMA regulation changes, make renovation of the current facility untenable, Titcomb said. 

Links to multiple assessment study reports performed on the existing facilities for the town can be viewed on the “Town Hall” tab on the town’s website, www.southpalmbeach.com.

For about five months, CPZ Architects — the company hired to design the project — has held individual meetings with each council member where it discussed matters such as building design and identifying the project scope. 

According to a financial report presented at the May 16 meeting, the town has the $6 million to $6.5 million that has been identified as conceptually needed for the project and that no additional taxation of residents would be required. The available money is taxpayer dollars that have been saved over the years with the intent of putting the money toward the Town Hall.

Council member Sandy Beckett admitted she used to be among those who felt the existing Town Hall could be renovated, but she now agrees with her colleagues that it’s time for a new building.

“First of all, to make it more attractive and more modern,” said Beckett. “Some people expressed we don’t need a place for meetings and such, but we do try to promote community involvement and events, so we certainly want some space for that.”

Joe Barry, vice president of CPZ Architects, said his firm is very early on in the conceptual design. The difference between the two-story and three-story building options was roughly 1,500 square feet, with the two-story model costing roughly a million dollars less than the three-story option.

“Obviously there are going to be some people who aren’t happy with the decision,” said Beckett. “But hopefully, as time goes on and this building evolves and we make other decisions, there will be more input that will help us to design a building that everybody will be happy with.”

About an hour and a half into the meeting, resident Rafael Pineiro said he was appalled that none of the council members had made a single comment about what would happen with the existing turtle sculpture now at Town Hall. 

Mayor Bonnie Fischer, responding about what is to be included or excluded at the new Town Hall, said Pineiro’s “statements are conjecture, not factual, as decisions on these matters have not even been made to date. However, the Town Council has indicated all along that the turtle sculpture and the memorial bricks will be utilized in the new town campus.”

Also, Fischer said, the Town Council will determine all final configurations and amenities of the new Town Hall design that gets bid out to contractors.