Although much has changed throughout Summit County over the past 100 years, Frisco has tried to keep some of its history front and center for locals and visitors alike.

From highlighting old mines to preserving historic buildings, the City of Frisco has shown that it cares deeply about its past. One historic building that has been preserved in downtown Frisco is the 125-year-old Old Town Hall building, which now serves as the Frisco/Copper Visitor Information Center.

The Old Town Hall building at 300 E. Main St., which welcomes thousands of visitors each year, is scheduled to undergo renovations over the next few months to ensure the building can continue to be visited by individuals for years to come.

As highlighted in a Frisco City Council meeting on Tuesday, August 13, the project will officially begin in late August and will also include improvements to Old Town Hall Park, which lies behind the historic building.

The project was originally conceived in 2021 with a small conceptual budget before a plan to retrofit and modernize Old City Hall was presented to the Frisco City Council in January 2022.

At that meeting, City Council staff approved a renovation plan that includes an ADA ramp at the facility’s Main Street entrance, modernizing the interior with more energy-efficient infrastructure and equipment, and remodeling the restroom facilities. At a meeting a few months later in August 2022, City Council also designated Old Town Hall Park as a project priority.

Frisco-based Stais Architecture and Interiors then presented the project’s construction costs along with Frisco city staff in October 2022. The preliminary cost was $2.13 million, 28% over the budgeted amount of $1.6 million.

To reduce project costs, Frisco City staff began developing a plan for a smaller project that would utilize the building’s existing footprint rather than expanding the Visitor Information Center.

The revised project plan includes a remodel of the existing facility with the construction of an ADA ramp at the Main Street entrance, an upgrade of the interior of the Visitor Information Center, and a complete remodel of the public restrooms. The remodel also includes the removal of the gas service and the installation of a new electric boiler with high-efficiency heating units.

As part of the work on the Old Town Hall Park, the main square will be redesigned with seating walls, embossed and colored concrete, and landscaping with plants that require little or no irrigation.

AD Miller Construction Serviceswho worked on the Slopeside Hall project on the Frisco Peninsula, proposed a guaranteed maximum price of about $1.9 million for the project. The Old Town Hall portion will cost about $1.5 million and the Old Town Hall Park about $360,000.

The new ADA ramp allows people on crutches, guests with strollers, wheelchair users, and those with limited mobility to enter the building. The new ramp also bypasses the current ramp access near the restrooms.

“This change is a critical part of the project for our team and we are very excited to provide general access through the front door for anyone wishing to use the services of the Visitor Information Center, which includes a very popular water filling station,” said Vanessa Agee, Frisco’s communications director.

The public toilets behind the Visitor Information Center are used by 94,000 people annually and have not been renovated for over 20 years. As there are often queues in front of the men’s toilet due to the small size of the facility, the toilet will be extended into the Visitor Information Center as part of the renovation to better meet the growing demand from guests.

“These public restrooms are used by residents and visitors alike, so a much-needed upgrade will benefit the many people who rely on clean, safe and modern toilets in the city centre, which have baby changing facilities in every restroom,” Agee said. “We have also been able to create a staff/gender neutral restroom inside the Visitor Information Centre, which will be available when the interior of the Visitor Information Centre is open to the public.”

During the duration of the project, the Visitor Information Center will be relocated to the corner of First Avenue and Main Street.

The project is scheduled to begin in late August, with the temporary relocation of the Visitor Information Center taking place August 19-20. After the two-day closure, the Visitor Information Center will open at its temporary location and will remain there until at least March or April.