The Madison Street parking garage is in need of almost $1 million in repairs, city staff told the Jefferson City Council Committee on Public Works and Planning on Thursday.
The five-level garage, at the corner of Madison Street and Capitol Avenue in downtown Jefferson City, is a mixed-use garage with monthly or hourly rates for the public, as well as some state employers and other businesses leasing spaces for their employees on a monthly basis.
It was built in 1961 and received major improvements and expansion in 1990 but is now in need of some major repairs.
Britt Smith, operations division director for the city, told the News Tribune the garage is structurally sound enough to operate, but there are areas that need repairs before they become worse.
"We're dealing with a structure that, depending on which part you're standing in, is either 30 or 60 years old," Smith said.
In his presentation to the committee, Smith outlined four areas of current maintenance needs totaling an estimated $940,000, although he said that was likely the lower end of the possible cost range.
The garage needs elevator repairs and upgrades, structural repairs and sealing, handrail and guardrail replacements, and garage entry system upgrades.
The Public Works and Planning Committee did not take any formal action Thursday but encouraged city staff to continue pursuing improvements for the garage.
Smith said the first priority is repairing or replacing the elevator doors due to a frequent issue that's causing a lot of repetitive maintenance.
"About every other day, it seems like, the elevator doors will open and not close back, so that's become a real issue," Smith said.
Smith said staff is working on a bid for the project that will likely cost around $50,000.
While the elevator is currently top priority, the structural issues of the garage decks are also of concern.
"We don't have any areas where I'm concerned there's going to be a failure, but there are areas we have to constantly monitor to make sure a portion of concrete doesn't fall on somebody's car or fall on somebody," Smith said.
The city would not operate the garage if there was any possibility of a structural failure, Smith said.
Repairing the structural issues on the garage deck presents an issue due to the design of the parking garage, which requires a driver to navigate up each level to reach those above.
For example, if repair work is being done on the third level, drivers will likely not be able to park on the third, fourth or fifth levels.
"If I completely shut the garage down and kick everybody out, it could take six months to rebuild the garage," Smith said. "It's a 540-space garage. Where do I park 540 people?"
Smith said the city is pursuing options to build a new parking garage somewhere in the area, possibly closer to the Missouri state Capitol. Currently staff is looking for potential property acquisitions for that project.
Repairs are also needed on the garage's four corner stairwells. One in particular, located at the corner closest to the intersection of Madison Street and Capitol Avenue, has been closed for a few months due to the disrepair.
Smith said the stairwell repairs likely will need to wait until spring because the stairwells are exposed to the weather.
Smith said they also will likely need to consult an engineer with specific knowledge to repair the issues in the best way possible.
Other than the elevator repair bid, the repairs are all in the staff-level planning stage.
Construction contracts of more than $25,000 will need to go before the Jefferson City Council for approval as the process moves forward. Smaller contracts can be approved by the city administrator.
Funding for these projects would come from the city's parking fund, which is made up of parking fees and other related fees.