Date: Fri 13-Dec-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

Hall-Edmond-Town-Hall

Full Text:

Attorney Tells Panel: Keep Government On Main Street

B Y S TEVE B IGHAM

Longtime resident and attorney Robert Hall believes the heart and soul of

Newtown rests in the center of town, near the flagpole, and believes the

town's government should remain there.

Mr Hall met with the Municipal Space Needs Advisory Committee Tuesday night,

pointing out that plenty of land is still available on the Edmond Town Hall

property.

He said Mary Hawley's trust has nothing to do with the town's ability to move

out of Edmond Town Hall, but that her beneficence should be honored.

The space needs committee is charged with investigating possible sites for the

future relocation of town employees at Town Hall South and possibly Edmond

Town Hall.

Town Hall South employees will soon be evacuating their offices due to

flooding and general deterioration of the building. They are expected to

temporarily move to Canaan House on the Fairfield Hills campus in January.

Employees at Edmond Town Hall complain of a shortage of space.

Two weeks ago, the committee drew up a list of possible options in an attempt

to address the town's space needs. They include:

1. The construction of a municipal complex at Fairfield Hills;

2. Renovations to Town Hall South and Edmond Town Hall;

3. Purchasing the Congregational Church house to the south of ETH;

4. Leasing Bee publisher R. Scudder Smith's proposed 25,000-square-foot

building on the former Lovell's property at the corner of Main and Sugar

streets;

5. Moving into Hawley School;

6. And using the Hook & Ladder Volunteer Fire Company station.

Bill McCarthy of Hook & Ladder said his volunteer fire company wants to put a

5,000-square-foot addition onto its building behind Edmond Town Hall. However,

he said the company would consider moving to another location, and thus leave

the building available for use by the town.

Mr McCarthy said there is definitely room to add on to Edmond Town Hall,

pointing out that the building used to be a T-shape until a three-story

addition was added to the south side in the 1960s. He said the same could be

done to the north side of the building, near the old police station which

currently houses the town's finance department.

Former selectman Jim Smith, recommended the town move to Fairfield Hills. He

went a step further, suggesting the town take over "the whole damn complex,"

using a professional management group.

Mr Hall said town offices could get lost at Fairfield Hills, though he did

recommend the town pursue opportunities to obtain land or buildings from the

state.

Watertown Hall, the only building at the grounds with its own heating, has

been offered to the town. A visit to the building by the committee has been

scheduled for next week.

Member Joe Mahoney suggested the ad hoc committee hold a town meeting in order

to receive more public comment, but as resident Kevin Cragin said, no one will

show up, pointing to low turnouts for $35 million budgets.

"No one shows up even for that," he said. "You guys should just have enough

faith in yourselves and then go to the Board of Selectmen with what you think

the town has to do."

Committee member Carol Ross said the search for municipal space has been a

difficult one.

"We're all realists, but you can't look at any of this realistically, yet,"

she said. "We're starting to come down to reality, though. We're near where we

can say `this is where we ought to be going.'"

However, the town's municipal space needs aren't expected to be resolved any

time soon. One member predicted the temporary move of Town Hall South

employees to Canaan House could end up being more like five or six years

rather than 12-18 months.

The committee is scheduled to meet next January 7 at the senior center on

Riverside Road.