by John Osborn
On Thursday evening the Municipal Building Committee delivered its final plan for the renovation and expansion of Town Hall and Hildreth House to the Board of Selectmen. But after a 90-minute question and answer session, Selectmen adjourned without a formal vote to accept the plan. That vote could come at the next meeting of the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, March 6, or perhaps as late as March 20, the last date for accepting Town Meeting warrant articles.
Architect’s rendering of the proposed stage on the second floor of Town Hall. CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE
The special meeting of Selectmen was held in Volunteers Hall, broadcast on town cable, and attended by members of the capital and finance committees, some of whom were hearing the details of the latest proposal for the first time. A smattering of residents also braved icy roads to make their way to the hearing.
The presentation was led, as usual, by the town’s hired architect, Drayton Fair of LLB Architects, who walked attendees through the committee’s favored designs for the two buildings. There have been few changes to these since the committee came together last month in favor of constructing a smaller Town Hall addition and restoring an open assembly space on the second floor of the original, historic building. But the report did contain a few alterations to previous versions, and included new estimates for the total cost of upgrading each building.
Gone from the latest designs are the partitions the committee originally offered as a way to subdivide the large meeting space in Town Hall for use by the Board of Selectmen and volunteer committees. Plans for the second floor also show a rebuilt stage suitable for performances and a lift (see the rendering that accompanies this article). The stage would make use of a pair of existing oak doors to create a closed space for committee meetings, and would be no more than 30 inches high, to avoid railings, which state regulations would require if it were higher. The plan envisions seating for 150 to 200 people.
New calculations put the cost of implementing the latest Town Hall plan, including a stage, at $3,990,500, and for Hildreth House at $5,512,400 (see the tables for a breakdown of major costs).
The presentation was not a slam dunk. Fair and committee members were peppered with questions from the audience and the two finance committees asked for time to review the detailed cost estimates that lie behind the latest project totals. Debbie Ricci and Cindy Russo of the capital committee, and Bill Johnson and Peter Warren of the Selectmen, had concerns, some old, some new: Why are there no partitions on the second floor? Who will pay for the stage? What goals have been set for the amount of private funds needed to complete each building? With the likely addition of a town planner and a town facilities manager to Town Hall in coming months, is there still enough room for town committees?
Regarding the partitions, in an email to the Press,building committee co-chair Jackson wrote Friday that the committee and its architect had been unable so far to find a workable solution.
“Our strategy regarding partitions is to wait until we find a suitable type if and when we need it,” he said. “I see no reason to build it into our cost at this time. Project contingencies would cover it if we decide, during the design development phase, that we need partitions. The [design development] phase is the proper place to get into this level of detail.”
As for funding the stage, Jackson said, there is an argument to be made that it should be paid for by the town, a point of view endorsed by Selectman Tim Clark as well.
“We are replacing an existing stage,” wrote Jackson. “The lift is needed to meet code. There will be times when the stage will be used for government purposes.” But, he added, “I can see that private funding of curtains, theatrical lighting and sound systems and other performance support would be appropriate.”
“There is a difference of opinion on the BOS,” added Jackson. “We'll wait for their direction.”
In a phone call with the Press, however, Selectman Bill Johnson said he did not think the building committee’s work could be considered complete until it had a plan for creating adequate meeting space on the second floor.
“A key design requirement is not being addressed,” he said. “Remember that there was a lot of discussion about we’re really addressing the meeting space needs with this one large space. There were assurances that we could make a moveable partition scheme work…I don’t think it’s a ‘nice to have,’ I think it’s a requirement in order to get people behind this thing, otherwise the room just looks like a performance space.”
Friday Sobalvarro told the Press she would call for a vote to accept the report of the committee at the next Board meeting on Tuesday, March 6. A vote is required, she said. “We should accept what they are saying. They were given a task? Did they complete the task? [If so], we accept their report. ”
So why no vote Thursday evening?
“For me,” said Sobalvarro, “last night was an opportunity for people to see the material live and in-person. Much of it has already been available on line, but, “Here’s your chance to get down in the detail.”
“Obviously not all questions [asked last night] are going to be answered. But I think the pivotal thing on Tuesday is: do we want to this project to move forward or not? We can muddle in the details forever.” In the end, she said, “It’s up to the Selectmen to decide.”
But at least one Selectman would prefer to get answers before voting to accept the report.
“You’ve got to understand,” Johnson told the Press. “All of us want to have something happen, and so we need to get as many people on board as possible. So I would rather wait until the capital committee [has the data it needs] and does what it needs to do [to vet the plan and budget] in order to hopefully get them on board.”