The City of Dunedin celebrated the Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting of
Published on January 27, 2022
On May 19, 2023, the City of Dunedin celebrated the Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting of City Hall, located at 737 Louden Avenue. It was a wonderful time to bring together our community, to honor and acknowledge the tremendous amount of work that went into the project, and to welcome businesses and residents to their new home of City government.
The event began on a sunny evening on the grand stairs of the building, welcoming hundreds of guests. Led my Mayor Bujalski, who opened the ceremony, the event featured the Dunedin Fire Honor Guard with a ceremonial presentation of flags while the Dunedin VFW Post 2550 played taps on a bugle, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. The Dunedin High School Chorus then led the event through the Star-Spangled Banner before the Invocation, delivered by Pastor David Shelor.
Pastor Shelor’s Invocation spoke of building a strong house, founded on rock along our beautiful shores of the St. Joseph Sound. He stated,
“we have built a house – not just a place to pay our utility bills, get a permit, or make decisions about zoning and budgets, but a house, a home.
May this house be built on what unites us, not what divides us, where we celebrate our differences and diversity, and reconcile our divisions.
May this be a house where we seek not to win a fight, but to do what is right for ALL our neighbors – residents and visitors, teachers and business owners, retirees and toddlers, rosemary shrubs and slash pine, dolphins, and gopher tortoises, those today and those for a million tomorrows.
May this house be built on the rock-solid foundations of love, justice, equity, and peace.”
Mayor Bujalski spoke about the building serving as a symbol of progress and pride to unite employees, services and our community. A building, which has been in discussion and planning for more than 20 years when, in 2000, a Facilities Assessment Space Needs Analysis reported the need for consolidated services and declared the existing Municipal Services Building (MSB) and Technical Services Building (TSP), which previously stood at the 737 Louden location, as functionally obsolete. Prioritizing community services, the City proceeded to build a Public Services Administration Building, Fire Station 61, an Emergency Operations Center, a new Community Center, the Hale Senior Activity Center and the MLK Recreation Center ahead of tackling a consolidated City Administrative building.
For those that were part of those early discussion, many locations were considered, but architecturally, the current location was the preferred site. The architecture firm of Harvard Jolly crafted seven different designs, which were presented to the community. Following 17 public meetings, the Community supported the existing “Wave” design.
Jennifer Bramley, City Manager, spoke about the efficiencies created in the new City Hall as home to more than 80 employees, previously operating out of 5 different locations. The public may be most familiar with the “One-Stop Shop”, directly accessible off the lobby, as the central location to pay utility bills, apply for permits, or request engineering reviews. This space was designed to consolidate services for the benefit and convenience of Dunedin residents and business owners. Housed within the new City Hall are the departments of: Utility Billing Communications, Community Development (including Planning, Code Compliance, and Building), Economic and Housing Development, Engineering, Finance, Human Resources & Risk Management, the City Clerk, Information Technology, and the Offices of the City Manager and the City Commission.
The hard-bid project of $22.8 million was awarded on March 31, 2021 at a City Commission Special meeting which fully discussed and reviewed project details and contractor qualifications. The project is primarily funded from the Penny for Pinellas Tax Fund, a tourist tax specifically invested into public infrastructure and City enterprise funds, such as the CRA, utilities and building funds. To fully fund the project, a bank loan was required, which was leveraged at an interest rate of 1.3% with the building expected to be fully paid for by October of 2029. Manhattan Construction Company was the selected contractor who broke ground on May 11, 2021. While the world endured significant change during and following the pandemic, creating unforeseen supply chain issues and labor shortages, the construction budget held firm according the original guaranteed maximum price contract. Through these challenges, Manhattan Construction has been a steadfast partner.
Features of the building include a Solar Energy System, generating more than 216 thousand kilowatts of solar power per year, reducing electric demand and creating a cost savings in annual utility bills. Energy efficient features on lighting systems were intentionally created through the design process. Four electric vehicle charging stations were installed along Virginia for both the City’s EV fleet and public usage. Materials throughout the building were sustainable where feasible, including natural stone and brick, bamboo flooring and recycled finishes. Window striping was intentional for birds, as well as several bike racks placed around the building, a water refill station, and recycling bins. The landscaping installed around the building includes 98% Florida Native plants and 100% Florida Friendly plants with low drip irrigation to reduce water waste and support wildlife. Surrounding the building and adjacent surface parking lot has created 200 parking spaces which provide convenience for residents and visitors during high demand events and weekends.
Public Art has been placed throughout the building, with the most notable being the exterior art sculpture by Heath Satow entitled “The See” and the interior lobby printing of renowned Florida painter Christopher Still, “The Sun Will Rise Again”. Throughout the conference rooms, curated works have been selected to support the theme of each room: Caledesi, Coral, Orange Blossom, Mangrove, and Magnolia. These conference rooms have allowed for department synergies and will be available for use for internal meetings, the City’s boards and committee meetings, and public meetings.
Guests in attendance for the ceremonial event include past Dunedin Mayors Bob Hackworth, Manny Koutsaris and Tom Anderson and Florida State Representative Adam Anderson (District 57). The City would like to extend its most sincere gratitude to those businesses and organizations who participated in the evening, including: Taoist Tai Chi Society of the USA, the Dunedin Fire Honor Guard, the VFW Post 2550, the Dunedin High School Chorus, Pastor David Shelor, the Dunedin History Museum, Scottish American Society (Dunedin Pipe Band), The Dunedin Brewery, Stirling Wine, The Honu, Madison Avenue Pizza, Old Bay Café, Lucky Lobster, Pisces Sushi, Casa Tina, Bon Appetit, Café Alfresco, Chelsea’s Cashew Creamery, Oh Sugar Custom Cookies, The Orange Social, Jack’s Signs, and Dorky Daisy Photography.
As City Manager Bramley stated in her speech that evening, the work to create, finish, deliver, and dedicated this space would not have been possible without the support of the City Commission, both past and present, the community, several key staff members that played pivotal roles in the project, and the many, many staff that came together from Parks and Recreation, Public Services, Community Development, Fire, Economic Development, and the City Manager’s office to create such a memorable and meaningful evening.
For the entire community – Welcome to your New Dunedin City Hall!