By BRAD GASKINS / Staff Writer

ALABASTER – Alabaster is a step closer to building a new city hall, after the Alabaster City Council voted Nov. 21 to allow Mayor David Frings to enter into a contract for architectural services for the new facility.

Councilman Adam Moseley said the architect services will help the city better assess the costs of the project.

“We want to make sure that we get the accurate cost before we really get into this too deep,” Moseley said after the meeting.

Alabaster officials have previously said a new city hall would be 10,500-square-feet and would hold a new courtroom and city administration building near the Alabaster Senior Center.

The project likely would total about $1.9 million, Alabaster City Administrator George Henry previously said. Henry also previously said the city could fund payments on the new courthouse and city administration building with money the city receives from the state’s County and Municipal Government Capital Improvement Trust Fund.

If constructed, the new courthouse and administration building would bring several city departments, such as inspections, building services and revenue under one roof.

The city council does not have a specific timeframe for the project, Moseley said.