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Simple visions for new City Hall/Matt Viser

Computer kiosks for filing tax abatements or settling parking tickets. Simple visions for new City Hall By Matt Viser GLOBE STAFF ayor Thomas M. Menino's M plan have City Boston for Hall gotten a on new waterfront the sideways jewel South may of a looks from a few historians, architects, and city councilors. But the bureaucrats inside the dark and drafty seat of Boston government are already dreaming about the amenities of a new home. Ordered to imagine the City Hall of the future, about a dozen Boston officials are putting together a wish list that includes things like exotically powered heating and cooling systems and automated services. But some officials who have spent their entire careers working inside the Brutalist concrete mass at Government Center are downright ebullient at the prospect of simpler things, such as meeting rooms that are easy to find and signs that clearly indicate to the public where they need to go for City Hall functions. "There will be an electronic sign, and when you come in, it'll be like a hotel: 'Board meeting in the 2-B conference room,' " said Michael Galvin, chief of basic city services. "It's just that exciting." Boston's City Hall of about four decades - built to symbolize a new era that celebrated common people - has been widely criticized as being forbidding. Officials say they want an inviting building, if Menino's vision is realized. But a new City Hall would also be designed to accommodate fewer people. With the numbers of people who actually go to City Hall to conduct business appearing to decline in recent years, officials say a new building would rely heavily on virtual transactions and less on person-to-person contact. "In 10 years, it's going to be dramatically different," said Bill Oates, the city's chief information officer. "Online transactions will certainly be the majority." City officials also imagine a cultural center in conjunction with a new City Hall, one that would replace the current brick plaza with a tent area where residents can enjoy views of the skyline as they listen to jazz, oldies, and hip-hop. A CITY HALL, Page B3

Article from 28 Mar 2007The Boston Globe(Boston, MA)

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