Monday, September 20, 1999
Monroe workers together at last
New town hall reunites staff
BY DAVE ECK
Enquirer contributor
MONROE — After spending much of the last two years working in rented offices scattered throughout the city, Monroe employees have been reunited, as the city on Sunday dedicated its new town hall.
The 24,000-square-foot city building houses the city administration, council and the police department. Construction took about two years, and the building cost about $3.5 million, City Manager Donald Whitman said.
He said he is glad that his employees are together again, because having people around town made discussions difficult.
“If you wanted to meet with them, it meant getting in the car,” he said. “(Now) I can walk down a flight of stairs and have a talk with the police chief if I want to have a face-to-face.”
The building provides residents and visitors a single stop to get what they need.
About 250 people attended the dedication, with students from the public schools in Monroe cutting the ribbon. The U.S. and Ohio flags were raised during the ceremony.
“We've got many dreams, and this is part of it,” Mayor Elbert Tannreuther said. “I think the building's very functional and a good-looking building. It all pulls everything together.”
Located on South Main Street — on the sites of the former village hall and police station — the building features administrative offices and a towering council chamber on the street level and police headquarters and a community room below.
The red-and-white buffed brick building has a tower with a clock visible for blocks. Inside, there's a copy of the official portrait of U.S. President James Monroe, town namesake.
“The community has grown, and this should serve us for many years to come,” said Boyd Smith, who has lived in the town for 69 years and whose father came to Monroe in 1905.
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