With six years of complications and delays, renovations to Meridian’s historic City Hall have sometimes seemed like they would never end – but the mayor announced on Tuesday that the building will be dedicated at the end of this month, with city employees beginning to move in the next day.

    Mayor Cheri Barry said at Tuesday’s city council meeting that a dedication ceremony and open house will be held on January 31 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The open house event will include blessings from local pastors, a short historical tour of the building, and a reception on the third floor auditorium with music, art, and refreshments.

    Barry said that the city will move its City Hall offices from their temporary location and into the newly renovated building over the course of two weeks from February 1 to February 14.

    Finance and Records Director Ed Skipper, who has been close to the project, said that before city offices move into the building a few “final punch list items” and the coordination of the move must be completed.

    When the city initiated the renovation project in 2004, it was expected to take around two years to complete and be paid for with just a portion of a $10 million bond loan. A number of unforeseen complications with the project led it to be dragged out for an additional four years and to cost the city approximately $25 million, including interest to be paid on the financing.

    Construction on the project began in 2006.

    The building, originally built in 1915 and damaged by poorly made renovations in the 1950s and 1960s, will be one of the most pristine historic buildings in the state and will be a rare type of restored historic building in that it will continue to be used for its original purpose. Skipper said it will be one of the most historically significant buildings in the region.

    “It’s a perfectly beautiful building,” Barry said. “(Meridian is) going to be proud of it.”

    In other business at Tuesday’s council meeting, the council approved the appointment of Carol M. Smith to the Civil Service Commission on a 3-2 vote, with Jesse E. Palmer Sr. (Ward 4) and Bobby R. Smith (Ward 5) voting against the appointment, while Barbara Henson (Ward 3) Mary A.B. Perry (Ward 2) and Dr. George Thomas (Ward 1) voted to approve the appointment.

    Smith will replace Roscoe Jones on the commission. Barry decided not to reappoint Jones, who had been vocal about his opposition to the mayor’s requests of the commission, when his term expired in December. The council also discussed at length the proposed update of the civil service code that the commission may consider.

    The council also discussed proposed changes to the city’s ordinances governing vehicle towing and impounding companies, with Police Chief Lee Shelbourn and former Chief Administrative Officer Ken Storms saying the companies are now able to charge exorbitant fees and otherwise conduct business improperly.

    The next meeting of the city council, set for February 7, will be held in the municipal court room at the Meridian Police Department. The following meeting, set for February 21, is planned to be held in the third floor council chambers at the renovated City Hall.