LAMAR, Mo. — Lamar City officials are showing off something new in town. Something that sits on their Historic Downtown Square — and is the home of a number of city officials.

“Being on the square is pretty important because I think that’s the core. That’s the center of town, that’s where the courthouse is at, and I think that’s where we should be,” said Russ Worsley, City Administrator of Lamar.

And that’s exactly where the Lamar City Hall is now – on the corner of West 10th Street and Gulf Street – with a perfect view of the town’s Historic Square. But, that’s not the only benefit of this new location.

“The other building we were at, we shared with the police department. They were in half of it and we were in the other half. They were really cramped and we were pretty cramped as well. We were kind of running out of space, had people stacked on top of each other. So, there wasn’t really enough adequate space for private conversations and that type of stuff, it was really a noisy environment. So, being able to move over here, spread people out and have more room has helped a lot in that aspect,” said Worsley.

And now the police department has that building all to itself. The new City Hall used to be a bank – but it was purchased by the city in 2021 and construction began last spring. By the first of February this year – city officials began moving in.

“We changed out the doors and windows for a more insulated, economic – to heat and cool for the building. But, we had a lot of floor coverings that need to be replaced, we did a lot of changing of some of the walls and making it so that it has some more private areas for some of the offices. But, we remodeled the bathrooms, made them ADA compliant, put some ramps in and that type stuff, was a lot of what consumed our time.” said Worsley.

City employees say – it’s already starting to feel like home and it adds another element of pride to their workspace. And the community is enjoying the building’s curb appeal, as well.

“A lot of residents have stopped and told me how proud they are to have such a nice-looking facility. They’re really anxious to get in here and have an open house, so they can look around. We’ve invited people to come in and take a look and they’re really excited,” he added.