Glenville hires architect to design new Town Hall – The Daily Gazette

GLENVILLE --The town has hired an architect to design a new Town Hall to be built on land behind the current building, which will be converted into a town public safety building.

The Town Board voted Wednesday to spend $7,800 for the next phase of design work with CSArch of Albany, which under an earlier contractdeveloped the concept for expanding town government at its existing Glenridge Road location. The Town Board chose that option from among a series of options presented in August.

Town officials have said for years that theyneed to do somethingabout the current building a former movie theater where the offices are oddly configured and located on several different levels. The courts and Police Departmentneedmodernization, and the proposed renovation would expand those departments into the rest of the existing Town hall.

Town Supervisor Chris Koetzle said he hopes the initial design work can move forward quickly.

"I've told them I'd like to have it in time for my State of the Town Address on Jan. 8," Koetzle said. "That might be a little tight, but certainly by the end of January."

Assuming the preliminary design work is accepted by the town, Koetlze said he hopes detailed engineering and architectural design can be done in time to put the project out to bid and start construction next fall. If the new building is ready in late 2021, the town offices would move in, and the renovation work at the current Town Hall would take place in 2022.

"The nice thing is we'll be able to do it in phases," Koetzle said.

Plans call for the town to builda6,300-square-foot structure on a four-acre, town-owned plot that includes a former residence now used by the town historian's office. The land is east of the current Town Hall, and separated from it by the Schenectady County Library property; the properties connect behind the library, though. Between the town properties, the town has 6.5 acres.

"Renovating the existing Town Hall as a public safety building for the police and court functions, and building a new Town Hall/Town Offices building on the adjoining site appears to be the best option for expansion, functionality, practicality and overall cost," the earlier feasibility study concluded.

The feasibility study estimated the total construction costs for renovating the current building and erecting a new building at between $4.75 million and $5.75 million.

The town has an unspent$1.5 million state grantto improve its police station, which Koetzle believes could be applied to the project. The offices moved into the new building would includebuilding and planning, the town clerk, town supervisor, assessing and financial management.

Koetzle said the hope is that between the state grant andcapital funding the town has already set aside, Glenvillewill only need to borrow about $2.5 million, which would be paid off over a number of years.

"I think we're in good shape to do this with little impact on taxpayers," Koetzle said.

Reach Gazette reporter Stephen Williams at 518-395-3086,[emailprotected]or@gazettesteveon Twitter.

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Glenville hires architect to design new Town Hall - The Daily Gazette