The city of Newberry broke ground for its new city hall building on Wednesday, with a crowd of local officials, citizens and construction workers standing by. 

“This city hall will be a physical manifestation of where Newberry is headed and what Newberry is doing,” Newberry Mayor Jordan Marlowe said in a speech. 

Assistant City Manager Dallas Lee said the new city hall building is designed to last, and to draw city functions under one roof. Construction is expected to take roughly a year. 

“It’ll be a place where every resident feels welcome, where the needs of our community are met efficiently, and where the spirit of collaboration and innovation will thrive… This new facility will be a hub for community engagement, where ideas are exchanged, solutions are crafted, and the future of our city is shaped,” Lee said in a speech. 

The design, created by Monarch Design Group, took into account community engagement and will be executed by Scorpio Construction. 

In June, the city commission authorized $6.29 million in capital improvement bonds for the project and approved a contract with Scorpio with a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) of $8,596,405. 

The new city hall building, set to house all city functions together, is to come with additional ingress/egress routes and parking. 

The clerk’s office in the existing building will be renovated, while the rest of the building will remain the same as city staff and contractors determine how to use the space in the future. 

Arches, stonework and towers in the design are intended to help the new building fit with the existing city hall, and the church across the street. 

Marlowe and Newberry Commissioner Ricky Coleman both praised Travis Parker, who took the lead on the new city hall for a year, as project manager. Parker said community input was integral to envisioning the new city hall. 

“I just think it’s amazing for the community, because what it’s going to do is it’s going to provide a resource for all city functions in one place. I think that’s huge,” Parker said in an interview. 

Newberry Commissioner Tim Marden estimated the city hall expansion has been in discussion for two or three years, and the product so far is a design that reflects the community’s vision, and blends well with the existing downtown. 

“We’ve taken a lot of time and effort to put together the right project with the right contractor, and it’s nice to finally see it get moving,” Marden said in an interview.