Parkville held an open house on Saturday at the new city hall at 8880 Clark Ave., in the Parkville Commons.
To officially dedicate the building, the mayor cut a ribbon in front of the South entrance after speaking to the crowd on hand.
“Before us today is not just a building, it is our future,” said Mayor Kathy Dusenbery. “It is a blending of old and new.”
A local dignitary at the event spoke about the way Parkville has changed over the years.
“When I first came here, the government met in the railroad depot,” said Bill Grigsby, local sports commentator and Parkville resident. “It took a lot of people with excitement in their heart to build this.”
Park University has been a major part of Parkville for years and wants to continue being a major part.
“Park University wants to be a partner in sustainable growth,” said Roger Hershey, vice president and general counsel for Park University. “We have become a very different school since 1875 and this is a very different community.”
The event was also a time for members of the public to tour the new facility. Visitors were allowed a behind the scenes look at the facility to see the new layout for offices and new security features designed into the building.
Members of the architecture firm, Williams, Spurgeon, Kuhl, and Freshnock Architects, WSKF, led visitors on tours and described the advantages the new building has over the old city hall.
The Platte County Community Center also provided activities for children, including face painting, and an inflatable playground.
The Southern Platte Fire District also had a ladder truck on the scene and a water recovery boat.
The Community Center opened to allow people who are not members to enjoy the center free of charge on Saturday.