Long-anticipated renovations to the Springfield Town Hall are on hold for the forseeable future. “We’re basically waiting for the funding,” the chairman of the Select Board said.
http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20110111/NEWS02/701119922
ublished January 11, 2011 in the Rutland Herald
Town Hall renovations put on hold
By SUSAN SMALLHEER
Staff Writer
SPRINGFIELD — Long-anticipated renovations to Town Hall are on hold for the forseeable future, the chairman of the Springfield Select Board said.
Money for the renovations, which would have converted the bottom floor space once occupied by the Springfield Police Department into office space for town departments, is short, said Kristi Morris, the board chairman.
“There is not enough to move forward with any renovations,” Morris said.
For the past three years, the bottom floor of Town Hall has been vacant, with residents entering the building to use the elevator confronted with vacant and locked space.
Morris said he and Town Manager Robert Forguites had recently met with John Dawson, who acted as the town’s clerk of the works when the town renovated the former Lucas Industries on Clinton Street into a new home for the police department. The police department moved into its new headquarters in early 2008.
Morris said the historic building needs some building-wide improvements before the first floor space can be made useful for other departments. Town Hall needs a new boiler, it needs a sprinkler system and a fire alarm system, he said.
Those projects alone would eat up the $200,000 left over from the 2006 bond issue, he said, and must be done before any renovations.
“We can’t do anything on the renovations until those three items are considered,” he said.
Rough estimates include $70,000 for the sprinkler system, $40,000 for the boiler and $15,000 to $20,000 for the fire alarm system.
Morris said there were several town departments that needed extra space, and he said Town Hall’s problems storing records needed to be addressed.
Morris said the town wasn’t sure how to use the bottom floor. Original plans called for moving the finance department into the space, but there is now talk about moving the Selectmen’s Hall, the town’s chief meeting room, down from the third floor to the first floor, he said.
But if the Selectmen’s Hall is moved to the first floor, which would make it more accessible to the public, then the town would also have to renovate the third floor into office space.
He said that former board chairman Mark Blanchard had “roughed up” some plans for using the vacated space but nothing had been decided.
“We’re basically waiting for the funding,” Morris said.
The town has been setting aside $15,000 to $30,000 annually in its capital budget toward the renovations since the 2006 $2.5 million bond issue.
Morris said by state law any new construction or renovation has to be sprinklered.
He said the town needed to have an overall plan for Town Hall, rather than make the changes department by department.
“I don’t want us to do something piecemeal now and piecemeal next year. We need to look at it with an overall plan of what we should do,” Morris said.
“Basically, we’re waiting for funding,” he said.
Town Hall renovations put on hold
By SUSAN SMALLHEER
Staff Writer
SPRINGFIELD — Long-anticipated renovations to Town Hall are on hold for the forseeable future, the chairman of the Springfield Select Board said.
Money for the renovations, which would have converted the bottom floor space once occupied by the Springfield Police Department into office space for town departments, is short, said Kristi Morris, the board chairman.
“There is not enough to move forward with any renovations,” Morris said.
For the past three years, the bottom floor of Town Hall has been vacant, with residents entering the building to use the elevator confronted with vacant and locked space.
Morris said he and Town Manager Robert Forguites had recently met with John Dawson, who acted as the town’s clerk of the works when the town renovated the former Lucas Industries on Clinton Street into a new home for the police department. The police department moved into its new headquarters in early 2008.
Morris said the historic building needs some building-wide improvements before the first floor space can be made useful for other departments. Town Hall needs a new boiler, it needs a sprinkler system and a fire alarm system, he said.
Those projects alone would eat up the $200,000 left over from the 2006 bond issue, he said, and must be done before any renovations.
“We can’t do anything on the renovations until those three items are considered,” he said.
Rough estimates include $70,000 for the sprinkler system, $40,000 for the boiler and $15,000 to $20,000 for the fire alarm system.
Morris said there were several town departments that needed extra space, and he said Town Hall’s problems storing records needed to be addressed.
Morris said the town wasn’t sure how to use the bottom floor. Original plans called for moving the finance department into the space, but there is now talk about moving the Selectmen’s Hall, the town’s chief meeting room, down from the third floor to the first floor, he said.
But if the Selectmen’s Hall is moved to the first floor, which would make it more accessible to the public, then the town would also have to renovate the third floor into office space.
He said that former board chairman Mark Blanchard had “roughed up” some plans for using the vacated space but nothing had been decided.
“We’re basically waiting for the funding,” Morris said.
The town has been setting aside $15,000 to $30,000 annually in its capital budget toward the renovations since the 2006 $2.5 million bond issue.
Morris said by state law any new construction or renovation has to be sprinklered.
He said the town needed to have an overall plan for Town Hall, rather than make the changes department by department.
“I don’t want us to do something piecemeal now and piecemeal next year. We need to look at it with an overall plan of what we should do,” Morris said.
“Basically, we’re waiting for funding,” he said.
No comments :
Post a Comment
Please keep your comments polite and on-topic. No profanity