Norfolk Daily News

Saturday – January 19, 2008

Mayor requests details, numbers from city’s potenial partners

There’s been no shortage of talk about potentially having several different agencies share office space in Norfolk.

Now’s the time for details.

On Friday, Mayor Gordon Adams requested that all those who have expressed interest in being part of a multi-agency office facility or campus to go beyond concepts and start dealing with specifics.

He’s requested that representatives of several agencies provide “as precise as possible numbers” by Tuesday, Jan. 29.

The request went out to representatives of the Norfolk Public Schools, Norfolk Area Chamber of Commerce, Norfolk Area Recruiters, Madison County Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Elkhorn Valley Economic Development Council, the Northeast Nebraska Economic Development District and the Madison County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Mayoral candidate Tom Schommer, who has publicly spoke in favor of consideration of a joint office facility, also was requested to provide details of his concept.

Norfolk officials have been looking to find a new home for city government offices because the current space in the Norfolk city auditorium is inadequate. The city currently has an option on the former home of First Christian Church on Highway 81.

Several Norfolk business leaders also have encouraged the council to keep city offices downtown, while others have suggested — as a way to achieve economies of scale — looking at office space that could house more than just city offices, whether it be in a campus-type setting or a large facility. Still others have talked about incorporating such a multi-agency building or campus as part of a river walk concept in Norfolk.

Adams said it’s time to move beyond theories and concepts and get down to details.

That’s why he’s requesting the following information from potential office partners:

• The specific amount of capital funding that an agency is willing to contribute to any proposed facility.

• The agency’s specific square footage requirements in any proposed facility.

• The maximum square footage cost for a lease purchase that an agency is willing to contribute to any proposed partnership.

Until those kind of specifics are on the table for discussion, talk of a multi-agency office facility can’t be scrutinized accurately to see whether it is feasible and makes financial sense for all potential partners and taxpayers, city officials have said.