The City Council heard a presentation from the Mahoney City Center Committee (M3C) on Tuesday, January 13. The City Manager and Mayor provided background about the project and the many years of work on the city’s facilities planning. The Committee Chair, Mike Hulsey, gave an overview of M3C’s work to date. Craig Piper from SMRT (the design firm) provided detailed information about the planning and design process and presented the committee’s recommended option for the Mahoney campus. Finance Director Ellen Sanborn recapped the Funding Subcommittee’s work to date and potential options for reducing the impact of the project on taxpayers. Finally, members of the public provided comments and the Council discussed the topic.
If you missed the meeting, you can:
- Read the City Manager’s position paper
- View the Design Team's presentation
- View the Finance Director's presentation
- Watch the full meeting video
Importantly, the design team emphasized that a major cost driver is the work required on the Mahoney site, including the Mahoney building itself. Since converting the building from a school to a municipal building would constitute a “change of use,” significant, costly, and unavoidable investment would be required to bring the building up to code and make the site suitable.
The Committee asked the City Council to provide guidance for how to move forward. Specifically, they asked the Council to respond to the following questions:
- Confirm whether it supports the recommended conceptual plans for the Mahoney campus, and
- Whether or not the unanticipated price tag of $194 million changes the direction Council wishes to take with this project.
While most City Councilors expressed favorable views of the conceptual plans, the Council did not support advancing it due to the cost and potential impact on taxpayers.
The City Council directed the SMRT design team to work on options to present to M3C at its January 27, 2026 meeting. The options requested include:
- Phasing the project
- Renovating Mahoney with and without the Library
- Renovating Mahoney with and without the gym/auditorium fully renovated
M3C will discuss these options at its next meeting, and will present its recommendations to the City Council at a February workshop.
Join for the Tuesday, January 27, 2026 M3C meeting at 6 PM in City Hall Council Chambers, or watch on SPC-TV Spectrum Cable Channel 2 or live online.