Jefferson City staff is moving forward with plans to improve downtown parking after the City Council did not pursue a new parking garage in June.
Britt Smith, operations division director in public works, said city staff is working with a consultant who is looking at the current parking garage, as well as other ways to improve downtown parking, such as electronic meters.
“It’s pretty specialty work,” Smith said. “Parking garages need a good quality team of structural engineers and various other industry experts.”
Smith said the city put out a request for proposals and had eight consulting teams apply. Ultimately, officials selected Structural Engineering Associates out of Kansas City. They’ve also partnered with Cook, Flatt and Strobel Engineers out of Jefferson City.
“We’re currently in a scope and fee negotiation with this selected firm and hope to have a contract to bring to the council probably in December,” Smith said.
The plan, he said, is to look at the existing parking garage to determine the cost to renovate it compared to demolition and reconstruction in the same location.
The consultants will also look at the Jefferson Street parking deck, which the city owns as well.
Smith said the deck has some minor issues that staff want to get ahead of before they become major issues.
In terms of a timeline for work, Smith said, the goal was to start right after the next legislative session — when the garage is less busy. However, he said he isn’t sure that timeline is achievable.
Public Works Director Matt Morasch said the timeline will also depend on the project’s scope and what all needs to be done.
“These older garages had narrow one-way in and one-way out,” he said. “They don’t lend themselves to doing work and parking there at the same time. So, that’s the problem.”
In April and June, the City Council discussed purchasing 124 W. McCarty St. and 101 W. Wall Way for $93,800 to build a new parking garage. The bill didn’t pass.
During those discussions, Morasch said work would need to be done on the existing parking garage whether or not a new parking garage was built.
Smith said the consultants will also look into whether the current garage could be expanded to offer more spaces. A 2017 study identified a deficit of 592 spaces on the east side of the state Capitol. Peak parking times are March, April and May when the Legislature is in session.