KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Transportation, Infrastructure and Operations Committee met Wednesday to discuss several infrastructure issues impacting city workers.
Officials recommended closing and repairing the KC City Hall parking garage after a report earlier this month determined it was becoming unstable from corrosion and water infiltration. Some people in the meeting commented that parts of the garage were deteriorating “rapidly.”
In response, the council debated three options:
- The water proofing could be fixed along with some structural repairs for $5 million, which would increase its lifespan another 25 years
- The waterproofing and structural issues could be fixed and the garage could be made ADA accessible for $17 million
- The garage could be knocked down and rebuilt for $39 million
In addition to the garage, the committee also discussed the lack of fire safety in the city hall building. Out of the building’s 30 floors, 21 do not have fire suppression systems, which some, including Mayor Quinton Lucas, find to be an important safety concern.
“How do 21 floors here not have fire suppression?” Lucas said. “There should be fire suppression as part of any renovation before carpets and flooring… I don’t feel comfortable with workers in here today.”
Adding fire suppression is estimated to cost $10.5 million.
