Quality Public Services: Public Facilities

• City Hall. Marion's City Hall is generally in good structural condition, although scattered problems exist. Deficiencies include:
  • Inefficient floor plan and circulation problems with poor public access to offices and other facilities.
  • Lack of space for expansion or consolidation of city offices.
  • A generally inadequate council chamber.
  • A lack of contemporary meeting and conferencing space.
• Public Library. Marion's superb new public library was completed south of City Square Park in 1996. Potential issues for the library include monitoring future space needs with population growth and providing additional parking and drive-up services.
• Police Department. Marion's contemporary police headquarters was built in 1984. Building-related issues include a lack of space to house contemporary police activities and office space, a relatively inflexible floor plan, and ventilation problems.
• Fire Station. Marion maintains two fire stations which together office excellent response time. As growth continues, the ability to maintain excellent emergency response should be monitored.
• Public Works Facility and Yard. The Public Works facility provides an excellent base of operations for critical city services. Future issues include heated vehicle storage area and possible relocation of Engineering Department if a city hall project makes office consolidation possible.
• Marion Community Center. The Marion Community Center is housed in a former elementary school facility at 10th Avenue and 6th Street. The building does not provide the city with a contemporary recreation and community center. Facility issues include:
  • Possible consolidation of Parks Department offices in a new city hall development.
  • Future construction of a contemporary community center to house existing programs and provide improved community activity and recreational programs.
• Airport. The city is completing a comprehensive study and improvement program for a municipal airport.

Public Facilities Priorities

Major priorities or potential projects for the planning period include:

• Future City Hall replacement. A replacement of the current facility would permit a single location for major operational and policy-making departments and better public meeting accommodations.
• Space planning at the Police Department. A space needs building program should be established to address functional problems.
• Community Center. Marion should begin the process of developing a space and facility program for a new community center to replace the existing Marion Community Center. A community center site should be accessible to all residents of the city and associated with the city's parks and greenway system.