Numerous Officials Celebrate Groundbreaking of New City Hall & Transportation Center

By Christina Georgiou

The project to build a new bus terminal has taken more than a decade and been passed along through the terms of four Easton mayors, but Easton's intermodal complex project is finally a "go", as 20 shovels were wielded by people who have played a part in making the project finally become a reality on Friday afternoon.

More than 100 people gathered on South Third Street to witness the groundbreaking ceremony for Easton's new City Hall and Transportation center complex.

The crowd, comprised  mostly of local and state officials of both government and area NGOs, braved a chilly wind as a small batallion of speakers praised the project's finally coming to fruition, after more than a decade of planning, changes and hurdles overcome to make the bus terminal a reality.

Full of praise for the final incarnation of the project, which will be built on the sites of the former Perkins restaurant and Marquis movie theater, one by one officials took to the podium.

"I know we've been accused of rushing things, but I don't think 12 and a half years is rushing things," said Easton Mayor Sal Panto, adding that "doing over" the Perkins site make him happy.

He noted the suburban style of the restaurant's architecture and site plan didn't fit in the city, but that doesn't mean more modern styles like the one that will grace the intermodal center's facade aren't a good idea.
 

 "As you walk Downtown, you can see we built according to the era," he said.

Fred Williams, a former Easton councilman and now LANTA's treasurer, praised the project and noted that change is part of the city.

"Believe it or not, this is the fourth groundbreaking I've been to on this street. I go back a long way," he said. "This is a great project of the city."

For bus passengers, the new terminal will be an improvement over the current one and allow them to be safer when waiting for transfers, Williams said.

He also noted the cooperation of officials over a long period of time to extend grant funding to make the new transportation center, which will also house Easton's new city hall, the National High School Hall of Fame, and a yet to be defined commercial space, a reality.

Planning for Easton's intermodal complex has spanned across
the terms of four Easton mayors. From left to right, current
Mayor Sal Panto, former Mayor Phil Mitman, former
Mayor Tom Goldsmith, and former Mayor Mike McFadden.

"It's not easy to get the right combination, to get local and state and the federal government to work together," he concluded.

One by one, state and local officials echoed that sentiment. The project, envisioned near the end of former Mayor Tom Goldsmith's term, was passed along through the terms of Tom McFadden and Phil Mitman too, to finally be inherited by Panto.

"It was quite a puzzle. As each mayor took office, he had to make the pieces fit. And now they're finally glued together," said Vice Mayor Ken Brown. "The complexity of our city has changed. Development is happening. Easton is changing."

Representing the Easton Parking Authority, which will run the new parking deck at the complex, Skip Fairchild said more parking is necessary to support the growth of tourism, business investment, and new housing in the city.

"I'd like to take the opportunity to say how excited the parking authority is to get this project off the ground, or into the ground, rather," Fairchild said.

However, site preparation construction won't begin in the first week of April as was  recently announced--rather it will more likely start at the beginning of May due to the geotechnical survey reports for the site just being completed now, Panto said.

Now that is done, the city needs to put the site prep work out for bid, he added.

Former mayors Tom Goldsmith and Mike McFadden, Easton
Councilwoman Sandra Vulcano, former Easton Mayor
Phil Mitman, Vice Mayor Ken Brown, and Easton City
Controller Tony Bassil prepare to wield shovels at
the groundbreaking ceremony for Easton's new City
Hall and Transportation Center on Friday afternoon.

The concrete footers and parking deck slabs were to be installed in late June or July, the mayor had previously said, and meeting that milestone is still being anticipated, Panto said.

"We think we'll still be on schedule for site work," Panto said.

"It's taken a number of years, but the that, the building has come full circle," Joseph Biondo of Spillman Farmer Architects. "Imagine this thing rising out of the ground in the next few months...It's going to be a civic building unlike any others seen in the Lehigh Valley."

"In many ways, spring symbolizes rebirth, and this project will be the catalyst to revitalize this neighborhood," said State Representative Bob Freeman, noting the street's past as home to the city's Lebanese community. "Unfortunately, mistakes were made during urban renewal."

Freeman said the project will bring opportunity back to the block.

Either in person or via representatives, State Senator Lisa Boscola, former State Senator Bob Mensche, Congressman Matt Cartwright, and others, echoed the sentiment that the new complex will be good for the city and aid in its economic development.

City Planning Director Becky Bradley and Easton
Councilman Jeff Warren smile broadly after taking
part in the groundbreaking ceremony Friday
afternoon.

"The Easton Intermodal Transportation Center is breathing new life into a city filled with vacancies by spurring new economic development that will draw people back to the downtown corridor," said Federal Transportation Authority administrator Peter Rogoff in a press release.  "This facility will also make it easier than ever for commuters from Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton to save money on gas by taking transit to jobs in Western New Jersey, Newark and New York City."

And then, the dirt of the "first" shovels to break ground on the site flew.

Groundbreaking for Easton's New City Hall, Transportation Center Set for Friday

By Christina Georgiou

Image courtesy of Spillman Farmer Architects

Since Easton City Council approved the move of City Hall down the street and the sale of the Alpha Building, it's full steam ahead for the construction of Easton's new City Hall and Transportation Center.

A ground breaking ceremony is scheduled for Friday, March 22 at 2 p.m. at the site, 123 South Third St., says a press release issued from the mayor's office earlier this week.

Construction is expected to begin immediately thereafter, with work scheduled to begin by the first week of April.

Mayor Sal Panto has said previously the work needs to begin immediately to take advantage of construction company schedules, with the concrete slabs and foundations needing to be cast by summer to keep the project on schedule.

The three-story, 45,000 square foot complex will house the city's municipal offices on the second and third floors, with a LANTA bus terminal and transfer station, the National High School Hall of Fame and another commercial space occupying the ground floor.

The parking deck is expected to be completed first, opening in late 2014, and the building is set to be complete by the end of next year, with the move of Easton's City Hall hoped for in early 2015.

While construction is set to go ahead, the final plans for the building are not yet complete, and some "tweaks" may still happen, officials have said.

Easton City Hall Move, Alpha Building Sale Approved by Council

By Christina Georgiou

 Easton's city council approved both the move the city's municipal offices to the planned intermodal transportation center and the proposal to sell the Alpha Building, city hall's current location, with little discussion at their meeting Wednesday evening.

Both city Finance Director Chris Heagele and Easton Redevelopment Authority Director Gretchen Longenbach, along with Mayor Sal Panto, outlined advantages of the move and sale of the Alpha Building for council members.

Panto said the new municipal offices will instill pride and confidence that is lacking with the city hall's current location, though he added again that he supported the city's decision to occupy the Alpha Building in 1997.

"It was the right decision at the time," Panto said. "(But) people still don't know where city hall is. It's either the Alpha Building or the Crayola building."

Longenbach said there has been increase interest in Easton from developers in the last few years, but still, some buildings still need finanacial subsidies and incentives to make them viable investments. Additionally, new developments will require rents that are higher than the average market value in the city, which hinders their competitiveness with repurposed and rehabbed structures.

"The Easton transportation center has been in development for a number of years and affected by various market fluctuations in that time," she said. "While the original plan was to work with a private developer, the ultimate price of that meant substantial subsidy."

The cost of doing that would have been "cost prohibitive," Longenbach added, and moving the city's municipal offices to the new complex "allows for the construction of an attractive building at the gateway to the city."

"City hall occupying the Alpha Building saved this historic structure, but now it's the time to return it to the private sector," she said.

In a bullet-point list, Longenbach ticked off the advantages of the sale and move.

She said it will:

• Allow for the construction of an attractive and impressive building at a gateway location which is consistent with the city's urban planning goals and is appropriate in size, scale, and design
  
• Generate sale proceeds to be used to offset costs and reduce project debt
  
• Generate revenue from tenants in th eportion fo the building unused by city hall
  
• Fill a gap in the existing streetscape
  
• Create additional parking that is accessible but partially hidden to improve the street aesthetics, with parking that is needed in part to accomodate additioanl development and increased visitor projection by Crayola
  
• Create an attractive space for a much-needed bus transfer station and passenger area for LANTA and other regional bus lines
  
• Allow for a higher and better use for the Alpha Building in the private sector
  
• Allow for the consolidation of city hall and the creation of a more customer-service oriented experience for its residents and business owners

Heagele said the transportation center project is budgeted at $26 million, of which $4.6 million has already been spent to bring it to its current state.

Of the $21.4 million remaining, site work is expected to cost $1.85 million, construction of the parking deck will cost $8.1 million, the building that will house city hall, the LANTA bus terminal and the National High School Sports Hall of Fame will cost $11.25 million, and financing the deal will cost $200,000.

Grant funding, including $7.4 million in Federal Transportation Authority money through LANTA, will pay for $11.9 million, and the city is valuing the Alpha Building at $4.1 million, the same amount it paid for it in 2001, not a current appraisal of its likely sale price, he said.

A breakdown of the revenue increases and cost savings from a PowerPoint
presentation given by Easton Finance Director Chris Heagele
Wednesday evening.

Selling the Alpha Building and occupying the new space will net the city additional revenue and cost savings, for an estimated total of $645,000 annually, Heagele said.

Because the Alpha Building has "a lot of big ticket maintenance issues" that will need addressing in coming years, it additionally makes sense for the city to sell it, Heagle said, adding that the rent money will lose in transferring ownership is less than the estimated tax revenue the city will gain from it being occupied by private sector tenants.

"Moving out of this building works," he concluded.

Though a number of residents attended, there was no public comment on the proposal, other  than from one resident, who said he believed the project should contain recycled elements, preferably from Easton, wherever possible.

Officials noted that while that is probably not practical, the new building will be LEED certified, and a number of recycled and regionally-source materials are planned to be incorporated into the construction.

"This building speaks to the history of this place," said project architect Joseph Biondo. "We agree..this is the single-most important building that will be built in Easton for generations."

Present city council members voted unanimously in favor of the city hall move, as well as the Alpha Building sale, with the exception of Councilwoman El Warner, who was not present due to an illness, according to Panto.

A presentation outlining the construction contract was pre-empted prior to the vote when attorney Graham Simmons, who is representing the city's interests in the deal with Petrucci and Sons, unexpectedly fainted early in the explanation of the details to council members. Emergency medics were called to the scene, and he was transported to a local hospital, but Simmons was alert and talking after the fall.

Next Step for Proposal to Move Easton's City Hall Goes Before City Council Tonight

By Christina Georgiou


Click on any image for a better view.


The proposal to move City Hall down the street to the planned intermodal complex, which will also house a new LANTA bus terminal and the National High School Sports Hall of Fame, along with a subsequent sale of the Alpha Building is on the agenda for this evening's city council meeting.

Easton's Historic District Commission (HDC) brought the plan one step closer to being a reality after it approved the footprint and general concept plan for the new intermodal complex on South Third Street at their meeting Monday evening, adding that some revision to the exterior aesthetic plan for the building should take place before the project comes before the board again next month for general approval of construction.

The HDC called for the changes after some board members and Easton resident and Lafayette College professor of architecture Paul Felder opined that the building lacks an indication of "civic character" and doesn't seem to fit with the surrounding architectural feel of the city.

"Neither the architects nor this board knows whether they are reviewing a bus terminal or Easton City Hall," Felder said, adding that Easton's city hall will be and should look important.

Felder urged officials to take their time to consider the plans and construction.

"I'd urge (everyone) not to get caught up with deadlines," Felder said. "That's the way politicians keep control. They say, 'We need to do this.'"

Mayor Sal Panto has said the project needs to be fast-tracked to ensure a slot this spring and summer with contractors who will pour the concrete foundations and slabs for the new construction.

Felder compared the changes in planned use without a major change in the building's design to someone wanting a very large house and then deciding they didn't need all that space and subsequently converting some of the plan to accomodate a convenience store and a bowling alley.

"I do believe there is such a thing as civic architecture in the 21st century, and this isn't it," he said.

HDC member William Dohe said the building front on South Third Street could be better designed to work with the rest of the surrounding architecture.

"(A building) is like a piece of music. There are breaks in the song. I wonder if you've considered that," he said.

HDC consultant Christine Uhler suggested potential changes to the building plan might not have to be major to make it work better.

"It could be very simple, whatever it is that could be tweaked," she said.

But city officials didn't agree the building's style is inappropriate.

City Planning Director Becky Bradley said the plan includes regionally-source materials and is designed to be pleasing both at the close-up street level and as a whole from a distance.

"We're looking at a sort of graduated rustication," she said, noting that polished granite will form the base near the ground level and a concrete composite stone above. "We're looking at the post office and the Simon Mansion when it comes to color."

"I love my old home, but I also love modern architecture. I love the Sigal building," Panto said. "(The current city hall) isn't City Hall, this is the Alpha Building."

He added, "The deadlines are not what drove the architecture. But there will not be enough parking this summer (if the plan isn't approved). If you can approve the plan, we can move this forward."

Cost is also a factor in the city's push to move the project forward quickly, the mayor told HDC members.

"The project is up to $26 million. This project is revenue neutral. If it goes up any higher, it won't be," Panto said. "We're not going to build the Taj Mahal. We're going to build something we can maintain."

While a public presentation of the financial side of moving Easton's municipal offices to the intermodal complex has not yet happened, it is expected at this evening's city council meeting before the council votes on whether to authorize administrators to seek proposals for the sale of the Alpha Building and to proceed with the construction of a  "City Hall/Transportation Facility".

The council meeting, which includes public input, is at 6 p.m. tonight in city council chambers on the sixth floor of the current city hall, the Alpha Building, located at 1 South Third St.