Visitors to City Hall may not recognize the inside very soon. That’s because the building is undergoing some minor changes that will make a major difference in the appearance.

The inside of City Hall has been in need of a mild facelift for some time. Demopolis Mayor Cecil P. Williamson said the time had come. Williamson said there were no major changes on deck, just a little decorative modernization to make the building more welcoming.

“We are just freshening up,” Williamson said. “We are just freshening up and making it a better work environment. We are just making it easier for people to come into city hall and to pay their water bills and do all the other things they need to here.”

One of the best features of the small renovations has been the ability of the city to shop locally. Williamson said everything they needed to upgrade the appearance was found in the River City. Some additions were even within walking distance.

“We have been to Larry Walters, The Mustard Seed, The Arbor and a lot of other in town businesses,” Williamson said. “We have definitely shopped locally. We have been able to find everything we needed right here. This is something City Hall has needed for a while.” Because the renovations were simple, there was no need to budget extra funds. Williamson said they simply used the money set aside for just such a purpose.

“There, is in the budget, a small amount of money for capital improvement,” Williamson said. “It is just a small amount.”

The city is also saving labor costs by using city employees who are not currently tied to other projects to get the job done.

“We are actually using some of the city employees from the street department who are not on other projects,” Williamson said.

“That is why it is taking longer to get done, because there are other projects that need to be done and we can’t pull them off of them. It is a combination of the beautification department, the street department and city hall. It just makes it a more inviting place to come.”

Because the project is still in the works it is tough to put a price tag on it. Williamson said as they get closer to finishing they will know more about the cost. She added she expected the cost to be very low because the work being done is very basic.

“It is really hard to put a price on it because it is not done,” Williamson said.

“It is not that much though. A little bit of paint a couple of pictures and sprucing up a little bit. The city workers are also already on the payroll and they always do a good job.”