TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KLIX) – A warm breeze floated through the future City Hall, but that’s because all of the windows were open.

City council members toured the downtown facility before their regularly scheduled council meeting on Monday. During the tour they were updated by City Manager Travis Rothweiler on what has been done with the building up to this point and what they can expect to see with it in the coming months.

As he led those on tour to the different parts of the former Banner Furniture store, Rothweiler said the future City Hall will have an open and airy concept.

That description was a literal concept on Monday: there really are no windows in the building at the moment. All of them, including some walls, have been removed.

When work is complete next year – when the flooring has been laid, walls built, windows installed, mezzanine expanded, offices constructed – there’ll still be room enough to grow for years into the future.

Rothweiler said the design of the building is impressive. Among other things, he said, it’ll be designed in such a way to allow as much natural light into the building as possible.

Each level will be about 12,500 square feet, he said. The main level will welcome visitors with a modern lobby and have departments accessed more frequently by the general public; the second floor will include departments such as engineering and planning and zoning; the third floor will be for economic development, human resources, and financing. The City Council Chambers will be housed in the basement, as will the facility’s computer server. The rest will be used as “growth space,” Rothweiler said.

Clint Sievers, project leader with the design firm Hummel Architects that designed the new concept, said it has received the bid to also work on the city’s Public Safety Complex, located at the current police department and former city offices. It’ll begin work on that project in about September, he said.

Both the City Hall and Public Safety Complex will open sometime in 2017. Currently, city offices are located at 103 Main Ave. East.

Rotherweiler said the city’s officials and staff members are not letting personal preference dictate the design of the future City Hall, but rather they’re keeping in mind the long-term needs of the city.

There’ll be enough space in the building to grow beyond his tenure, he said.

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