Minutes of Bradford Town Hall Restoration Oversight Committee (THROC)
Joint Meeting with the Select Board, September 14, 2016
The meeting was held at the Town Hall and was called to order at 5:30pm. Present were Harry Wright, chair, Marcia Keller, Will Kranz, Brackett Scheffy, Jim Bibbo, John Pfeifle, Sonny Harris, Jen Richardson, Rural Heritage Connection (RHC), sitting in for Michele Halsted who was absent. David Halsted, Scott Mckenney, Dick Keller and Karen Hambleton were also in attendance.
Harry reviewed the proposed scope of the project. The proposed scope approaches the work from the standpoint of the current needs of the Town and the long term needs of the building. The scope includes:
- A full foundation, with the southwest corner of the building finished
- A sprinkler system, with a wet system plumbed to the basement and 1st floor and a dry system to be plumbed to the 2nd floor later
- A pad poured for the LULA
- Space for secure record storage
- Eased future maintenance of the 1st floor
- Retention of the LCHIP grant (which could be used for window restoration and exterior painting)
- A propane heating system
- ADA access at the front, NW corner of the building, which would become the primary entrance for all to enter the building
- Returning the main room to its 1863 wide open space by removing the dividing wall
- Cost: $799,000 bond
Brackett then asked the question as to where we want to go from here. He mentioned the several items that were identified and voted on at the previous meeting. He also suggested that the Select Board and the THROC do not want exist in parallel universes and to prevent that from happening, some basic agreements need to be reached.
John indicated the Select Board wants to support use of the Town Hall. He also felt that the Town strongly supported moving the Office back into the building and that the majority of the Select Board members feel adamantly that the Office should move back in, for a number of reasons. He also stated that the majority of the Select Board members felt the Town needed a rest from the Town Hall issue. How can all parties involved come together?
John suggested a new plan as follows:
Oct – Dec 2016 – Agree on the final use; work through the design issues; get bids
Jan – Mar 2017 – Explain/present the program to the public; put forth a $650,000 bond article in 2017 with funds not to be used until 2018; hold a public presentation in
Feb; at Town Meeting make a clear, concise presentation and have experts answer the questions
LCHIP Grant – To retain the LCHIP grant, we will explain that we are attacking the project in smaller, more financially digestible pieces. In 2017, we will begin to work on trim, windows and other tasks that the LCHIP will cover.
Apr – Oct 2017 – Improve the building’s insulation, put in a new septic, make sure the well provides clean, drinkable water (drill a new one if necessary), update electric, begin work on windows, exterior painting, address road and parking access.
Mar 2018 – No bond necessary at Town Meeting
Apr – Oct 2018 – Lift building to install new foundation, complete all building improvements.
The savings from our regionalization efforts will fund part of the annual bond payment.
This plan shows the Town Hall being used and its lower bond price and delayed tax impact should be easier for taxpayers to support.
Concern was mentioned regarding the idea of lifting the building after painting and window work had begun. Scott mentioned that one of the contractors he’d been talking to would not take responsibility for cracked or broken walls or windows.
It was stated that the THROC wants a firm foundation to begin with.
The question was asked as to why the ADA access can’t stay in the rear of the building (where it is presently). Are there distance regulations between the entrance of the building and the LULA? Kelly has indicated that she needs to complete a code review to answer this question.
Karen was tasked with finding a definitive answer for the ADA access and contacting LCHIP to see if they would accept a 2 ½ year renovation plan.
Minutes – Marcia motioned and Jen seconded the approval of the September 1st minutes with one change: a propane heating system should be added to the list of items in the scope of the project. The minutes were unanimously approved with the change.
Meeting adjourned at 7:20pm
Respectfully submitted,
Karen Hambleton