Warren welcomes the start of new city hall: 'This is its home, so this is where we should be'

BISBEE, Ariz. (KGUN) — The City of Bisbee hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for its new city hall building in Warren on Monday morning.

Ken Budge, Mayor of Bisbee, and City Manager Stephen Pauken, told the crowd that this is a new beginning for the City and it's employees.

“This is one of the happiest days of my term,” Budge said. “It’s one of the promises I made when I ran for office, is that I wanted to bring a home back to our people.”

The former city hall building was 108 years old when it caught fire back in 2017 because of electrical issues. Budge said it's taken time to make this project a priority, find the money and move forward with the construction.

“We decided when we were going to take the old building down if we could keep a piece of the old building and incorporate it into the new building, it would pay homage to our past,” he said.

The City looked at different locations for City Hall but Budge said those didn't feel right because of what the building meant to the Warren District in Bisbee.

“We looked at other possibilities and other locations. It might have been a little less costly but really, this is where it belongs," he said. "This is its home, so this is where we should be.”

Pauken agreed with the mayor. He said the building belonged to the city, but it's really for the community.

“It’s more than a building for government employees to work. It’s part of the community,” Pauken said.

He wants the building to be a place the community feels comfortable visiting so residents can talk with city officials about anything they need.

“This is a very important thing that Bisbee now will be able to have a home and be able to look forward to many, many years of serving the public,” Budge said.

He said the construction is estimated to take a year, and is hoping for a chance to work in the new building.