New Provo city hall, narrowly approved by voters, set to open Saturday

PROVO, Utah (KUTV) — A major taxpayer-funded project in Utah’s fourth-largest city is about to open.

Provo officials will hold a public grand opening Saturday at 11:00 a.m. for the new city hall and public safety building, located downtown at the corner of 500 West and Center Street.

Taxpayers only narrowly approved a $69 million bond to pay for the five-story building back in 2018. It passed by just 422 votes. But now that the new city hall is about to open, Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi said she hopes anyone still skeptical about it will soon be convinced.

“Honestly, I am a tightwad,” Kaufusi said, acknowledging the cost but also noting that she’s talked to residents on fixed incomes who see the ultimate result. “Once people see it, they’re like, absolutely, we are happy to support this.”

The mayor’s office sits on the fifth floor of the 204,000-square-foot building with a sprawling balcony outside offering sweeping views of the city and Mount Timpanogos. She said that’s one of many benefits the building offers.

“Now, when I have people like David Neeleman in my office, I can say, David, let’s go out and look, look at Provo. We need Breeze Airlines here,” Kaufusi said. “Those conversations are critical.”

The building itself cost $58 million, according to project director Scott Henderson. The rest of the money from the bond went to equipment costs and a new fire station elsewhere in the city, he said.

“As we sit right now, everything is right on budget,” Henderson told KUTV 2News, noting that came down to ordering supplies early – before costs spiked – and keeping cranes on site as little as possible. “That saved us millions of dollars in construction costs.”

The mayor pushed for this building primarily for public safety. The city’s police and fire departments are now in the same place, along with 911 dispatchers. A new operations center boasts large screens and enough space for city officials to communicate and plan with each other during an emergency.

None of that was available in the city’s aging offices which, the mayor pointed out, didn’t have enough space for staff and was unsafe.

Provo Police Chief Fred Ross called the new building a “game-changer” for the city of Provo. The fire chief, Jim Miguel, said they’re already seeing benefits by being located in the same building.

“I am not going to miss the old building at all,” Miguel said.

But while they’re moving in, don’t be surprised to see both departments trying to outshine the other.

“I’ve got a soft-serve ice cream machine coming, soda machine,” Ross said with Miguel standing right next to him. “Hot dog machine is on back order. But we’ll see what he can do.”

“And I have a key to his office,” Miguel chimed in as both men laughed. “So, the relationship is going to be splendid.”