HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996-06-20 c M
1 Town Board Public
Information Meeting
June 20 , 1996
TOWN OF DANBY
PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING
TOWN HALL RENOVATIONS
6 : 00 P .M . June 20 , 1996
Special Meeting
PRESENT :
Supervisor Mary Oltz
Councilpersons : Edw . Inman, Rosa Lee Johnson, Howard Steiner
ABSENT :
Councilperson Joseph Schwartz
Others Present
Carol W . Sczepanski - Town Clerk
Susan Beeners - Code Enforcement Officer
Members of the Public :
Bill Farrell , Mary Lou Hardesty, Gaetano D ' Ambrose , Jr . , Arch & Esther Dotson, Valerie & John
Shepardson, Raymond Mayo , Paul C . Smith, Walt Sczepanski , Susan Hautala, E . J . Miller, Jr . , J . M .
Herson, Chris Gartlein, Jack Baker, Jerry Catlin, Ken Horst
Supervisor Mary Oltz called the meeting to order at 6 : 00 P . M . and reported that the Town has been
aware for a long time that we need improved Town Hall facilities . The Town appointed a committee
that has been pursuing grants and other methods of cutting the costs for the Town Hall Project . The
new plan for the Town Hall Project has been scaled down , as presented on the Board , and is
approximately $ 100 ,000 . 00 less than the 1994 projection of $450 ,000 . The present plan, as drawn
up by an architect, is estimated to be approximately $ 358 ,000 . 00 . A majority of the committee has
recommended to the Town Board that the Town Hall be renovated and an addition for office space
be added on to the building .
Code Enforcement Officer Susan Beeners was available to answer questions .
Councilperson Inman said that the town could not afford to duplicate this space in a new building .
Comments and Questions from the Public :
Joel Gagnon - asked what the completed structure was going to look like .
Susan Beeners said that there was a cross cable alternative and a hip roof alternative . The committee
did not go to the expense of having the architect draw that up details . Various roof options were
included in the estimated cost. The committee did not want to move into detail until the basic
decision was made by the Town Board to pursue a renovation addition project. The cost of new
construction is approximately $ 95 per sq . ft. The cost for this proposal is $ 358 . 00 . 00 A new
building of minimal space needed would cost at least $ 50 ,000 . 00 more than the renovation/addition
proposal .
Mary Lou Hardesty - she said that we are trying to satisfy everybody by saving the old Town Hall
and having a new addition .
Gaetano D ' Ambrose, Jr. - suggested we build a complete new building . He said more thought
should be put into this as it would not cost that much more to put up a new building that would be
more efficient . It will cost a lot of money to keep this building .
Arch Dotson - asked the distribution cost between the renovation and the new construction.
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Information Meeting
June 20 , 1996
Susan Beeners said that the cost for the addition is estimated at $268 ,000 and the renovation
$90, 000 . The renovation cost is around $27 per sq . ft. And the new construction is at $95 , 000 .
John Shepardson - said that when this is renovated it will still be an old building .
Ray Mayo - thanked the committee for their hard work . He does not want to see more of his tax
dollars spent on this old building and would rather they be spent on a new building . The Town has
• land that was donated that could be used instead of purchasing land for a new site .
Supervisor Oltz said that we could not just build on a new site and let this building sit here . The
possibility of selling it is minimal .
Paul Smith - is concerned with the heating costs for this old building.
Unidentified Resident - concerned of unused space with the high ceilings and favors second floor
and florescent lighting .
Chris Gartlein - 350 Hill Road - approves of renovation of this building . He said we need to keep
in contact with our legislators regarding regulations that effect and inflate the cost to small
municipalities who need to upgrade their facilities .
Susan Hautala - Town Historian - would like to see the renovation of this old building moved
forward and upgraded for handicapped accessibility . If the building is maintained properly after
renovation it should see many more years .
Walt Sczepanski - approves of saving this building and asked what type of renovations were
planned for the building other than the foundations .
Susan reported that with any type of renovation would also require a new septic system well . The
cost is figured in the cost is included in the renovation budget .
James Herson - 2037 Danby Road - favors renovation and additional space . His opinion is that the
cost of operation will not go down but they will remain fairly stable and increasing with the rate of
inflation.
Jack Baker - likes this building, but there are problems with it that will be costly to repair due to
the costs of labor, and there is a need for more parking with a safe access . We need to make solid
decisions now, buy property , look into building a new structure as we must look into the future . He
suggested that this building could be sold or used as a community center .
Bill Farrell - does not favor tearing down the building but does not want to see the Town Hall tied
to it . He said he thinks that the Town should build a complete new building for the Town Hall .
• Jimmy Miller - favors saving this old building as it has a lot of history .
Esther Dotson - favors restoration of the building . It is a landmark for the center of Town .
Ken Horst - Said he was honored to serve on the committee and that they spent a lot of time on
looking at options including visiting other town halls . He favors saving this building as it is a
landmark in Danby .
Councilperson Johnson - said we do not have a lot of wealth in Danby and said she thinks that we
could get more space and use our money better. The purpose of a town hall is to have an efficient
operation for the town to use . She believes that we could build a new facility for less money .
Supervisor Oltz - said that if the staff had sufficient working space some of the staff would be
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Information Meeting
June 20 , 1996
working more hours in the building as opposed to working at home .
Councilperson Steiner - responded to comments made by residents . There was no work done on
the foundation when the last renovation was done . One of the items addressed in this proposal
includes repairing the foundation . We believe that a thorough evaluation has been done by the
architects and engineers that have been consulted and the estimates are reasonable . •
PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING CLOSED
Supervisor Oltz closed the Public Information Meeting at 7 : 50 P . M .
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Carol W . Sc p nski , Town Clerk
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