SPANISH FORT, Ala. — Advisory board members charged with exploring the feasibility of constructing a city complex have one message for Spanish Fort residents eager to see the long-discussed project become a reality: Be patient.

“This is a very difficult decision for the future of Spanish Fort, and we will take our time on it,” Mayor Joe Bonner said. “It’s not going to be lavish. It’s going to be practical, and we hope at the end of the day we can achieve a design that suits all of our needs.”

The complex would be constructed on 18 acres purchased by the city five years ago at the intersection of highways 72 and 31. To date, preliminary discussions espouse a collective desire for a community center and library as well as meeting space large enough to house both city council and planning commission business as well as municipal court.

Interest in adding a museum component to the design has surfaced recently, but Bonner said he is certain the board’s “wish list” will expand and contract as discussions continue.

“Quite naturally, we have a very healthy wish list, and it depends on how much our wish list is going to cost and whether or not we need to refine it, slow it down or put it on the shelf,” he said.

The overall economy, however, will dictate whether city leaders determine if now is a prudent time in Spanish Fort’s development to proceed with the project.

To that end, Bonner said the process remains in its earliest stages with members of the advisory board meeting every Wednesday morning to pore over the qualifications of 12 architectural design firms that made the first cut in early October by providing all of the background materials requested.

A comprehensive site plan complete with architectural renderings is the desired goal, but Bonner said it is his hope the community will be involved in a charette process at some point that allows them to volunteer opinions on design and function.

At present, however, Bonner said the board has examined five of the architectural finalists, taking time to ask questions and even re-review firms already discussed when a new contender raises issues not considered in earlier conversations.

“We’re taking our time and devoting as much time to each company as we can. We hope in the end we’ll wind up with a select number of folks to move to Phase II, and that’s when we’ll have a chance to actually go out and look at some of the projects they’ve completed, but that’s going to take time,” he said.

Design firms that progress into Phase II will be given another set of criteria and asked to make presentations to the advisory board.

“Everything has to be exactly right for us to accomplish all of the things we need this one building to be, and it’s going to be quite challenging, but every company we’ve been reviewing seems capable of doing what we’re asking. We just need to get it down to a manageable number,” Bonner said.

District 2 Councilman Mike McMillan, who sits on the advisory board, said the difference between the contenders’ actual bids and actual costs offers the clearest indication of how efficiently the projects are run, and Bonner said it is that comparison that carries the most personal weight.

“One of the most important aspects of it for me is — once we get to Phase II — being able to look at past projects and make visits to them and spend that time to ask them questions and see how the project turned out and what kinds of problems they ran into. I think it will be time well invested. It’s very important that your architectural side of it complements the construction side of it, and that they work together to solve problems.”

Although an estimated cost has not yet been discussed, Bonner did say he is not comfortable with overextending the city’s coffers and has expressed to both the advisory board and the City Council his personal preference to not proceed unless the city can afford to put up a 20 percent downpayment.

To date, the city has methodically set aside $1.5 million that could be used toward the city complex, but Bonner said it is still too early in the process to know if moving forward makes sound financial sense.