DUNCAN - Relocation of Duncan municipal offices into a new City Hall has been delayed.
Infiltration from recent torrential rainstorms damaged the basement of the former Halliburton Finance Center on US-81 at the south edge of town, near the Stephens County Fairgrounds.
The damage must be repaired before the move-in because the basement is where the city’s E911 emergency equipment will be installed. The basement reportedly was designed to withstand an F-5 tornado.
Repairs to the basement will cost an estimated $159,200 and will be performed by WW Builders of Duncan, the low bidder for the job. Earlier this year the city paid $253,594 in claims submitted by WW Builders for other repairs and improvements to the building, including installation of a new elevator.
City Manager Kim Meek announced on June 14 that the move to the new quarters would be delayed for at least 45 days because of the water damage.
The Duncan City Council bought the building from Halliburton in 2017 for an amended purchase price of $693,750, records indicate. The acquisition was financed with proceeds from municipal sales tax receipts.
The former Halliburton building, at 1700 S. US-81, has approximately 75,000 square feet of floor space. That’s three times the floor space of the City Hall building located downtown at 720 W. Willow Ave.
The Halliburton building had sat vacant for about a year and a half before the city acquired it, but the company maintained security and water service during that time.
Some repairs are being performed on the building’s HVAC system by Saker Mechanical of Oklahoma City, at a cost of $13,400. In addition, city officials contracted with Saker Mechanical to provide semiannual maintenance on the HVAC system, at a price of $9,400.
The existing City Hall building was constructed 67 years ago, in 1952, and although it was renovated in 1984 it has been costly to maintain. For example, the roof leaks and its elevator is “a major concern,” said Meek.
Besides the relocation of the city manager’s office, the court clerk, Customer Service, the Utilities Department, the Community Development Department, the Human Resources office and the E911 communications center, the Public Works Department also will move into the newly remodeled quarters, records indicate. The building where Public Works is now housed, at 1220 S. US-81, will remain in service for maintenance and equipment storage, officials said.
It was unclear whether the repair costs to the basement and the air-conditioning system will be covered by insurance, and whether the existing City Hall building will be repurposed, sold or demolished.
Multiple messages to the city manager and to WW Builders went unanswered.