Mount Pleasant Town Hall Magazine

57 www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.ILoveMountPleasant.com | www.MPTownHall.com MOUNT PLEASANT Town Hall building built and designed to be such a civic space. In the past, we have always repurposed existing facilities, but the need for greater public safety, increased efficiency and a growing workforce led us to the design and build of this historic building. Our new Town Hall has 92,000 square feet of work space that will house 250 employees. There will now be two courtrooms with a seating capacity of 180 seats. This will allow us to run two court sessions simultaneously. The larger courtroom will also serve as the Council chambers, with an expansive set of large windows and a tabby wall that represents the natural environment of Mount Pleasant. The safety of a town is always on the mind of a mayor, and Mount Pleasant now has an Emergency Operations Center that will provide space for public safety, public services and emergency communications to function together. The entire building is constructed to withstand any major storm event. All departments will function better in the new facility, including the Police Department, which engaged a public safety consultant to assure we had design features that would best support the day-to- day work of police operations but also support the investigations bureau to solve any crime issues the community may face. There is a sub-lobby feature for departments that often work together, such as Business Licenses and Building Permits. This shared sub-lobby will make it easier for visitors to locate the correct office and allow them more space to conduct their business, rather than standing in the public corridor. This feature was included in the design to make doing business at Town Hall more convenient for our citizens. There is an outdoor terrace for members of the public and staff to enjoy. The teak furniture was purchased locally. Our committee meeting room seats 40 and has much better audiovisual technology to assure the public can easily view all presentations and hear the dialogue of their Council as they conduct town business. I believe everything we can do to make community engagement easier is paramount to good government. One thing that was always lacking in previous buildings was a History Room. This was identified in our Strategic Plan as something we needed to house the town’s historic artifacts. A local firm, History Workshop, helped with the design of the lobby displays and the History Room, which is located on the second floor. The History Room will be equipped with a computer to aid in research of the town’s archives. The mayor’s office has an open and inviting work space, and, while I will miss Harry Hallman’s round table, I look forward to making my own traditions in the office I’m honored to hold. Please make time to visit your new Town Hall. I’m sure you’ll agree: It was time for a new Town Hall. Councilman Bob Brimmer “Public Service Matters.” If you have visited Town Hall or other facilities over the past several years, you have seen and heard this slogan repeated often. What does it mean? As a public servant myself for the past 28 years, I have come to understand that public service is a mind-set – a personal commitment to making our community stronger through excellent customer service every day. Our dedicated town staff understands that public service can be challenging but extremely rewarding. With the opening of the new Town Hall, Mount Pleasant has built an outstanding facility that serves as a home for our local government. It brings together the many departments and offices that residents, business owners and visitors come to rely on every day. And it does so in a visually appealing and customer- friendly design that will serve the community for generations to come. I am proud to provide our dedicated staff with a work environment that is healthy, safe, attractive and conducive to the work that Town Council and our residents expect from them. I am just as proud to provide our residents with a building where they can receive excellent customer service, have their voices heard and perhaps be inspired to consider a career in the public sector or in public service to their local community. Because, after all, “public service matters.” With the opening of this new facility, Mount Pleasant now has a Town Hall that is dedicated to and embodies this important principle. Councilman Bob Brimmer Photo courtesy of the town of Mount Pleasant.