The story of Newcastle’s City Hall: Part II

Part II
By Bri Brasher 
with Leonard Cash
NLJ Reporter
 
The Dec. 2 article went on to explain that the “one story structure will have a 60 foot frontage and will be 50 feet deep allowing about 1,000 sq. feet of floor space. The building will house a new city jail, police headquarters and garage and various offices to be occupied by city officials. The only rooms to be completed in this contract are the jail and two additional rooms.” At this time, work was expected to begin immediately, and weather permitting, be completed by May 1, 1955. 
The police department headquarters was to move into new offices in the addition to the city building on Nov. 1, as reported in the News Letter Journal’s Oct. 2, 1955, issue. The newspaper announced that “on and after that date, all parking tickets may be paid there. Court sessions will also be held in the new location. In the past, police headquarters were located in the basement of the Newcastle Men’s Store.” Cash added that the city was planning to add a second story to the addition. He said there were already stairs prepared for the addition, but the second story never came to fruition. 
Skipping ahead on the timeline to Aug. 10, 1972, the city purchased the home of George Egge, adjacent to the City Hall on Warwick Street. The city bought the home for $3,750, and the volunteer fire department would soon be tearing down the building. The plan was to use the space for an addition to house the city fire trucks and law enforcement vehicles, but the plan was never put into place, according to Cash. The new law enforcement center was built instead. 
The next reports involving City Hall were published on June 10, 1976, when a new sign was erected for the Newcastle Fire Department and placed at the fire hall. “The 10 ft sign was carved from a 4 inch board and was made by Fireman Wilbur Lease as a centennial project and is red white and blue. On the top of the sign is the American eagle and the fireman insignia,” the paper reported. 
However, Cash said the fire hall moved out in the 1980s, and City Hall was remodeled. Reports on the switch started on Aug. 20, 1981. Referencing projects discussed in the law enforcement center articles of the History on Main Series, the article said the county commissioners passed a resolution to put a bond issue before the voters on Sept. 15 to raise funds for the $950,000 facility. 
It was reported that “County Commissioner Dean Materi said the amount would probably not build all the facilities needed but the county hopes to get a grant from the State Farm Loan Board and then obtain assistance from the city to meet the total amount. The council voted to have a committee work with county personnel for the proposed facilities. The city would not propose an additional bond issue for their share, but would hope to use severance tax monies or donate present facilities that might be used.”
The present fire hall was built soon after, and the reports on the remodel to City Hall started March 8, 1984. According to the News Letter Journal, “a proposal for remodeling the city hall was presented to the city council with drawings of proposed changes by City Engineer Larry Price. The building has considerable vacated areas since the law enforcement personnel moved to their new facilities.” 
The main proposal was to move the clerk’s and treasurer’s offices to the ground floor in the old fire hall areas to provide easy access to city business. It was also reported in the News Letter Journal that another proposal would move the courtroom to the present council chambers area upstairs in the west part of the building, and the courtroom would also function as council chambers. The proposed moves would vacate the east part of the building, which could possibly be rented to county or state offices, according to the article.
Next, on March 22, 1984, the Newcastle City Council was reported to have scheduled a special council meeting on March 26 at 7 p.m. to discuss the proposed remodeling program for City Hall. The News Letter Journal reported that the council instructed Larry Price to apply for impact fund grants from the Farm Loan Board for the City Hall remodeling projects and the city’s needs. The cost of the project was reported in the April 5, 1984, issue at $308,160. 
“Karl Rochert, architect-draftsman, displayed prints of the project to the council and a tour was held of the building. Rochert estimated the remodeling, without furniture and engineering fees, at $288,112,” the paper reported. “The architect and engineering costs increase the estimate to the $308,160 figure.” 
Price is noted as stating that his efforts to apply for grants were still in the works.
The same article also said that “there was some controversy concerning the remodeling project. Councilman Ed Kiesling recommended that the mayor and council consider looking at other possible sites for a location for a one-story City Hall. Mayor Louis W Carlson stated that he felt the estimated cost for remodeling the present City Hall appeared to be ‘a good estimate.’”
All must have been sorted out with the remodel, and the project went through. The building has been in use as is since 1984. 
The next installment of the History on Main series --see story below--will discuss the McLaughlin building.