Norfolk Daily News

Thursday – February 21, 2008

Now that details have been provided, Norfolk city council should take a look

On Feb. 7 in this space, we offered the opinion that the Salvation Army parking lot was our preference for a site for new Norfolk city offices. We also indicated that the least expensive option may not be the best, and that having the opportunity to design from scratch an office building to meet the long-term needs of city employees and the general public is important.

We stand by those opinions.

But now there’s a new factor worth considering.

On the front page of Wednesday’s edition of the Daily News, details and proposed drawings of a shared two-story office facility were unveiled.

As proposed, it could provide the city with the office space it needs as well as accommodate entities such as the Madison County, the local workforce development office, the Northeast Nebraska Economic Development District, the Norfolk Area Chamber of Commerce, the Madison County Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Elkhorn Valley Economic Development Council.

The concept of a shared office facility isn’t new, one might say.

That’s true. It’s especially been discussed since city officials expressed the understandable desire to move out of the cramped, inefficient city auditorium.

But until this week, it remained more of a concept than a specific proposal. Thanks to Tom Schommer and other members of a work group, many more details now are available.

They show an attractive possible design that would be impressive to those entering downtown Norfolk from the west. The details show a financing plan that would make use of municipal bonds — some of them tax-free — to make the project affordable to participating entities and provide the city with a cost-effective way to provide new office space without creating a burden on taxpayers.

The details also reflect a long-term perspective on bolstering downtown Norfolk. They reveal a practical concept that would make it easier for citizens to conduct their business with the city and related entities.

Bottom line? There are enough intriguing and encouraging aspects to this plan that it deserves further study by city leaders and members of the work group.

We would encourage the Norfolk city council to take the time necessary to fully explore whether what has been proposed could work. Deciding on a new city hall is an investment that could be with Norfolk for decades. It deserves careful consideration.