Expand Town Hall Remodel to Total Rebuild - YES

After a more than two-year public process, I voted to approve plans to replace our failing Town Hall with a new facility that will be an important public resource for the community, and built to last. The current facility dates to the 1920's and suffers from deficiencies including leaks, mold, asbestos, code violations, structural inadequacy, and more; the new facility will incorporate modern technology and fit our entire staff (which the current building does not), allowing staff to work more efficiently and effectively.

This vote was the culmination of a question we've been wrestling with for months now: we always knew the existing facility was failing, but was it a tear-down, or could it be salvaged? More importantly, which was a better use of tax dollars?

After careful consideration and a thorough examination of the knowns and unknowns of the existing structure's condition, we determined it made more sense to proceed with a complete rebuild. While doing so does raise the estimated project price from $9 million to $10.6 million, it avoids considerable risk down the road related to trying to "Frankenstein" a dead building into a second tour of service, in our assessment likely saving taxpayers a substantial sum of money in future changes or emergency repairs.

Because we've seen this need coming for years, we were able to carefully budget for this initiative to ensure its successful delivery would not come at the expense of any other projects or services, and with no new taxes required.