ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — Nearly six years after budgeting the project, the Robertsdale City Council put the wheels in motion Dec. 18 to begin the final phase of PZK Hall renovations, in all a close to $1 million project, officials said.

The project was part of the city’s 2012-13 budget which was unanimously passed in September of 2012. The initial project utilized a $100,000 Federal appropriation obtained in 2010 from U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner.

Initial plans called for replacing the wooden decking on the west side of the building with a poured concrete deck and constructing a T-wing on the east side of the building, providing a side entrance to the building and a 1,000 square foot covered canopy. Plans were later changed to move the concrete decking to the east side of the building and the covered side entrance to the west side.

The city later approved a project for the property, which included a paved split entrance/exit and landscaping.

The current phase of the project will be to add 3,000 square feet to the back of the building, including a kitchen, restrooms and a meeting room. One of the current restrooms will be turned into a dressing room, while the other will become a hallway leading into the back of the building. There were also plans to completely strip and replace the roof with a new metal structure, bringing the new roofline in sync with the additions to the building.

The council voted unanimously at its Dec. 18 meeting to allow City Engineer Greg Smith to begin the bid advertisement process for the project. Smith said each phase of the project would be bid separately, beginning with the foundation.

In all, Murphy said, the city has spent about $900,000 renovating the facility, which generates about $20,000 a month in rental revenue.

“This is truly a public service project,” Murphy said.

According to an article published in The Independent in January of 1994, the 6,000 square foot structure was originally built in 1924 and added to in the 1950s.

The PZK (which stands for Poucny a Zabavni Krouzek, translated as Educational Recreational Circle), a group of Czechoslovakian immigrants, built the structure to serve settlers which came to Robertsdale from the North in the 1920s. The Hall was also used by German and Swedish settlers.

The PZK donated the property to the City of Robertsdale on Aug. 17, 1992, and was closed for just over a year, from Dec. 10, 1992 to just before Christmas of 1993, while the city spent about $100,000 to renovate the building.

In February of 1994, the property was dedicated to the city with the property being renamed PZK Civic Park and the meeting hall named the PZK Civic Center.

In other business Dec. 18, the council approved the selection of Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood to prepare bid specs for sludge lagoon cleanout and authorized Smith to begin the bid advertisement process for the project.

Smith told council members that the lagoon, which was built in the late 1970s to early 1980s, has never been cleaned out and is at capacity.

Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood would be charged with developing a plan for the cleanout while keeping the disruption of service provided by the lagoon to a minimum.

“There will be some disruption while the lagoon is being cleaned out,” Smith said. “I’m not sure at this point how long it’s going to take, but it could take 6 to 8 months. Again, I’m not really sure.”

The council approved the engineering contract at a cost of $10,000. Smith estimated the project will cost around $300,000.

“So what you’re saying is if we do this, it will be another 40 years before it needs to be done again?” asked council member Paul Hollingsworth.

Smith responded that because of the growth in population and the increase in usage, it will likely not take that long, “but there are some things we can do to improve the efficiency of the system.”

Also on Dec. 18, the council:

•Approved a contract to provide $2,500 in funds to Baldwin County Child Advocacy Center/Care House to assist local victims of child abuse.

•Approved an ad request from Rosinton School to sponsor the 13th annual Armadillo Dash, scheduled for March 3.

•Changed January meeting dates from Monday, Jan. 1 to Tuesday, Jan 2 for the New Year’s holida and from Monday, Jan. 15 to Tuesday, Jan. 16 for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Silverhill

The Silverhill Town Council also voted to change the meeting dates for its January meetings during a brief meeting on Dec. 18.

The council also tabled a pair of resolution requests, one a revision to the town’s building code ordinance, and another to support legislation to address the licensing and regulation of child care facilities in Alabama at the request of the Alabama League of Municipalities.

Both resolutions were tabled to give council members a chance to review them before possible passage.

The council also approved the purchase of equipment for the Silverhill Volunteer Fire Department and took no action regarding noise concerns expressed by a resident on County Road 55. The resident was not present at the Dec. 18 meeting to address those concerns.