City Hall entryway improvements approved by Mason City council

MASON CITY — The City Council in Mason City this week approved a contract with Atura Architecture of Clear Lake to renovate the reception area at City Hall.

City Administrator Aaron Burnett says while several protections have been put in place during the pandemic that have created better security for the cashiers and other workers in City Hall, more improvements should be made.   “A large reason that we had to shut down City Hall for extended periods during COVID was due to the fact that we had individuals who were coming into the building, bypassing the cashiers which is not a controlled entry, and going to other floors. We’ve put some security measures in place. We’re still running into difficulties with individuals not following those rules, so we want to make sure that we have tight security.”

Burnett says the measures will help control the general public’s movement inside the building.  “What will happen is moving the cashier’s area forward and putting glass walls in place to make sure that anyone who comes in has to check in with the cashier’s office and be buzzed into City Hall.”

The council unanimously passed the contract for $232,400. While the project was not specifically budgeted for, Burnett says existing funds are in the budget for City Hall improvements that can be used for this project and many of the costs will be able to be covered by federal funding from pandemic relief due to the employee safety aspect of the project.