Open letter
I was very pleased to hear that the Town of Irmo has hired professional designers and consultants to review their space needs and make recommendations on solutions. Councils are elected to determine direction and manage the process of efficiently delivering town services.
Now, of course, it will be clear to the consultants that we need more office space for our expanded number of employees. I agree. But how do we efficiently make that happen?
First, in developing, the cost of site work and parking are major components of cost. Irmo currently owns property (SITE) next door to the current historic Town Hall and Council Chambers that offers an excellent low-cost and conservative solution with parking already available. Our Public Works Department currently uses the property for storage. They could move to the Community Park near where their primary work is located. We could then easily build a “Period Correct” office building that would complement the historic architecture of that part of town. The SITE is easily large enough to construct a two story 28,000 Square Foot (SF) building with a 14,000 SF basement. This building could easily provide needed office space for many years to come.
The Town Hall proposal made last year also included a 400-person meeting room. A meeting room as described would be limited by its poor access to parking and design limitations. I believe that adding a “Pavilion” style building in the Community Park would be a significantly more versatile “Event Space” with excellent parking room. It could have catering facilities and slide back walls to be able to host entirely new types of events ranging from family reunions to square dances. Being in the park this facility could be funded by our Hospitality Taxes and not our current budget. It could be an excellent enhancement to the Okra Strut as well.
We will be looking forward to the upcoming report.
Brent Chitwood
