Date: Fri 14-Jun-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

Town-Hall-South-renovation

Full Text:

Officials To Decide On Town Hall South Renovations

B Y K AAREN V ALENTA

The proposed renovation of Town Hall South may finally come to a vote before

the Board of Selectmen and the Legislative Council next week.

First Selectman Bob Cascella said on Wednesday that he intends to put the

question of spending more than $800,000 to renovate the building, improve

drainage and redesign the parking areas on the agenda for the selectman's

meeting next Monday evening.

The proposal must be approved by the selectmen, by the council and by voters

at a town meeting before the money can be spent.

Mr Cascella said money to pay for the project probably will come from the

town's capital reserve fund for non-recurring expenditures, a fund that

currently has a balance of more than $2 million, but that decision must be

made by the council because it is the town's finance board.

Last year the council informally earmarked $250,000 of the reserve fund for

the project. An additional $575,000 of surplus funds were added to the reserve

fund as part of the 1996-97 budget with the Town Hall South project in mind

although money cannot be officially allocated until the money is withdrawn

from the reserve fund. According to the town charter, all expenditures of more

than $50,000 must go to a town meeting for a vote.

Recently much of the tile flooring and wallboard was removed from the Planning

& Zoning office on the lower level of the building at the order of the

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) because of repeated

damage caused by flooding. A major repair of the curtain drain around the

building is planned as part of the renovation project.

The proposed project also includes a new pitched roof to replace the existing

flat roof, new windows, siding, and enclosure of the parking ramp area to

create additional space for future expansion.

When the project went out to bid last year, Clearheart Construction Company of

Bethel was the low bidder with a base bid of $758,000. With all eight of the

alternate proposals included, the total bid was $893,385. Since then, town

officials and architect John Madzula have been reviewing the project to decide

which alternates should be included and what the final cost will be.

A committee which includes Mr Cascella, Public Works Director Fred Hurley and

Legislative Council members Joe Borst and Win Ballard have been working on the

project.