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HUNTSVILLE, Ala – Over the last three days, the city of Huntsville has gathered feedback on what the outside of the new city hall should look like.

City officials say Huntsville has outgrown the current city hall and the infrastructure is constantly under repair.

Currently, several departments are split up on different floors. They are forced to ride elevators (which often break down) to collaborate.

“From a citizen’s perspective, it makes it very challenging to come in and get things like building permits or get development plans through the planning process. To even get your business license. You’re traveling to multiple different buildings scattered around downtown,” said John Hamilton, Huntsville’s city administrator.

Residents had the opportunity to scan over pictures of several different building types from across the country and the immediate region. The residents voted for their favorite buildings and were able to put additional feedback on comment cards.

“I’d like something like the Times Building. It would be a look that goes with other structures throughout the downtown area,” said Nancy Van Valkenburgh, a Huntsville resident.

The new city hall is expected to cost between 60-70 million dollars. The building would be constructed across the street where a parking garage currently stands.

The parking garage would be torn down and another, larger parking garage would go alongside the new city hall.

With the demolition of the current city hall, a fairly large area would become available overlooking Big Spring Park.

“The more densely we get populated, the more that park and the downtown gets utilized. It’s definitely important and people want to feel like it’s a place they want to come and hang out, visit their friends…have dinner and all that,” said Scott Akridge, a Huntsville resident.

Jackie Reed, a Huntsville resident who has been coming to the council for decades says she wishes more people in the community would voice their opinions and truly be part of the community.

“They won’t get interested. You can’t get the public interested in politics. I’m sorry. I think it’s bad news because I’ve been coming 30 years,” said Reed.

The city says they hope to start getting bids for the construction by November 2020. The construction and demolition could take roughly 18-months.

The goal is to have a new city hall by 2022.