Two Alternatives for Building/Renovation of Town Hall
PROPOSALS FOR EXPANSION OF TOWN OFFICES: PROs and CONs
(As developed at the May 26, 2005 meeting of the Building Committee)
PLAN A: Renovate the town hall into office space and build a gym on a separate site.
Pros:
1. Improves space and functionality for town offices.
2. Provides room at the lower level for large meetings.
3. Provides room upstairs for smaller meetings.
4. Separates recreational and governmental space.
5. Provides for emergency shelter services.
6. Maintains current parking availability.
7. Increases the size of the gym.
8. Provides office and storage for park and rec.
9. Provides for the possibility of grants for recreational space.
10. Preserves the view of the town hill.
Cons:
1. Inconvenience of relocating town services during renovation.
2. Cost of relocating town offices during renovation.
3. Limitations for future expansion.
4. Effectiveness of soundproof partitions for small meeting rooms is questionable.
5. Remodeling costs significantly higher than new construction.
6. Loss of recreational space during renovations.
7. Emergency shelter use could interfere with town operations.
8. Additional maintenance costs for gymnasium space.
9. Less adaptability for recreation with just gym space.
10. No grant money is available for renovation for office space.
Plan B: Build a separate town office building on town property off Cemetery Road and renovate the town hall for use as a community center.
Pros:
1. Continuity of services could be preserved by building new offices space, moving the offices, and then renovating existing space.
2. Allows for planning of our specific office needs.
3. More cost effective to operate and maintain.
4. Improves parking availability.
5. Separates recreational and governmental space.
6. More cost effective to build offices.
7. Emergency shelter area enhanced with use of two floors possible.
8. Community center provides space for a wider variety of recreational programs to serve all facets of the community.
9. Preserves the historical flavor of the town hill.
10. Less traffic congestion.
11. No elevator required in the rec. center.
12. Provides space for future expansion with new town campus.
13. Grants are available for remodeling recreation space.
14. Large meeting room would remain at the community center.
Cons:
1. Site preparation costs.
2. Gym space would not be significantly increased.
3. Renovation to the community center would be delayed until after the town offices are built.
