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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. 577 2 Town Board Public 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 5 73 3 Town Board Public 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 . diafrel()), Carol W . Sc p nski , Town Clerk r I