The Manhattan City Commission will spend $300,000 and will go directly to jail and will not pass go. Brent Bowman and Associates will be
hired to develop the old jail at 600 Colorado into a Municipal Court and figure out other uses for the building. Here is part of a memo given to
the Commission:

BACKGROUND

The land bounded by Pierre Street on the north, 6th Street on the east, Colorado Street on the south, and Juliette Avenue on the west is
owned by the City of Manhattan. It was originally dedicated as a public square in 1857, and has been used as a jail site since 1867. The Riley
County Police Department (RCPD) moved its functions to the new Law Enforcement Center in the fall of 2000 and as a result of that move, the
offices and other facilities within the Public Square at 600 Colorado Street are empty. The responsibility and control for maintaining the
facilities and grounds have subsequently reverted to the City as of April 1, 2001.

Many months ago, in anticipation of that reversion back to City control, the City initiated efforts to explore possible options for the future
use of the land and buildings. The process has included consultation with the Attorney General on legal issues, consultation with the
neighborhood and broader community on potential future uses, and performing preliminary building and site inspections in order to identify
all salient facts about the land and improvements. A memo written by members of the Community Development Department, in advance of a
recent City Commission meeting to discuss this issue is attached to this document. That memo contains details of the various opinions,
inspections, and suggestions regarding the property.

On January 4, 2001, the City Commission directed City Administration to solicit proposals from architects interested in assisting with further
detailed analysis of the site and the buildings. The packet of information for that decision contained all of the previously mentioned data,
plus a "request for proposals" (RFP). The cover memo and the RFP are attached for review.

DISCUSSION

The availability of the RFP was published in the Manhattan Mercury on January 24, 2001.

A selection committee was formed to review the submittals, to interview the short-listed firms, and to make a recommendation to the City
Commission as to who to hire to perform the work. The selection committee was:

• Mike Klinker, Seven Dolors Church & School Representative

• Marilyn Caldwell, South Manhattan Neighborhood Association Representative

• Jerry Dishman, Park Superintendent, Department of Parks & Recreation

• Sammi Mangus, Assistant to the City Manager

• Jason Hilgers, Redevelopment Coordinator

• Bill Frost, City Attorney

Six firms were interviewed on Monday, March 26, 2001. They were:

• BG Consultants

• Brent Bowman and Associates

• Bruce McMillan Architects

• Shankweiler Architecture & Planning, P.A.

• Tim Clark Architecture

• WRS Architects

After the interviews were completed, the selection committee conferred for a time and reached a unanimous decision to recommend the firm of
Brent Bowman and Associates for the project.