Renovations near completion at new location for Municipal Utilities

When Municipal Utilities shut down its offices on North Westwood Boulevard one Friday in mid-December 2014, the plan was to spend about a year in a modular building across the street before finding a permanent home.

After more than a few delays — from changes in city administration to renovation scheduling problems — officials believe they may finally be able to set a date in August for that long-awaited move.

“We are so close,” MU General Manager Bill Bach said Monday, during a walk-through of their new home.

Municipal Utilities General Manager Bill Bach looks out over an area where customer service representatives will take payments at a new location at 1902 Sunset Drive, when renovations are complete. DAR/Paul Davis

The former location of First Missouri State Bank has a new backup generator, renovated interior and repaired roof.

It lacks about two days of work to install carpeting in a first-floor office area and a final cleaning before staff can set a day to move in, Bach said.

Due to scheduling conflicts, workers are expected to be back to complete the carpeting by early August.

Bach believes the utility will complete the move on a Thursday and Friday, possibly providing drive-thru service while the interior set up is completed. A date will be set after the carpet installation is complete.

It will be a significant and much-needed change, according to Bach.

The utility has had nine employees, including billing and accounts personnel, working temporarily in a 28-by-64-foot modular building on Barron Road since the sale of their previous offices with the city’s cable division. An additional three administrative staff moved into the utility distribution office at that time.

The 1902 Sunset location offers more than 10,200 square feet, on 1.24 acres.

In addition to a backup generator, an elevator has been added to the building and a first-floor bathroom that is handicap accessible. Painting has been done, and a glass barrier has been added to account representative areas.

Repairs have also been made to a section of the roof, an issue that was identified before the purchase, Bach said.

Approximately $800,000 was spent from the utility reserve to purchase the building. The building was valued at $1.8 million when city council members entered a contract with First Missouri State Bank in 2016. The bank donated the remaining value of the building to the city.

Renovations are expected to top $100,000 when complete.

The bank drive-thru and night drop box will be utilized by the utility.