Amidst Continued Resistance, A Backup For Town Hall?

By Thomas P. Caldwell

BRISTOL — The dozen residents who attended an informational presentation on plans to build a new town hall and renovate the Bristol Police Station heaped praise upon the space needs committee for its efforts in coming up with a solution for overcrowding at the Bristol Municipal Building, but some said they still felt uneasy about the cost and were unsure whether they would vote for the project.

Committee Chair Edward “Ned” Gordon said he understood the concerns and found himself apologizing once again for bringing in a $2.65 million project after having told voters at last year’s town meeting that the committee wanted to keep the price to $1.25 million.

“We said we wanted a $1.25 million project, and the architect said, ‘No way,’” Gordon said.

Speaking to the group at the Minot-Sleeper Library on Feb. 24, Gordon offered a tantalizing backup idea, noting that LRGHealthcare’s cost-cutting measures include shutting down Newfound Family Practice on School Street. He said that building might be suitable for use as a town hall, saving the expense of building one.

Residents already use the medical center’s parking lot during events at the nearby Old Town Hall on Summer Street, and the office building also has a meeting room. There would be acquisition and renovation costs, but it would likely be less expensive than building a new town hall, Gordon said.

He said he is waiting for an opportunity to speak to someone at LRGHealthcare about the medical center before the building project comes up at town meeting.

Current plans call for the construction of a new town hall on the “Smith lot” adjacent to the municipal building this summer, and moving the town offices early in 2019. The police department would be able to spread out into the municipal building, which would gain a new sallyport and a larger booking area, with space for juvenile detention.

Gordon noted that, in response to concerns about the location of the sallyport, the architect is moving it closer to the front of the building with an entrance that would be at the bottom-floor level to avoid the need for an elevator or lift. Booking would be right off the sallyport.

He reiterated the reasons for not building a new police station, mainly due to the higher cost for police facilities, and he said the police could function well in the old building, while operations by the town clerk-tax collector, assessing, and welfare department could not.

The weight of the town records is causing the newer part of the building to separate from the original brick portion, he noted, and a new facility could provide privacy for members of the public doing business with the town.

In making adjustments in the plans to lower the price, Samyn-D’Elia Architects had reduced the cost to $2.45 million, but the selectmen had added some things back in which brought the cost back up to $2.65 million, Gordon said.

The town hall is projected to cost $1,938,688 to build, with $328,266 for renovations to the police station, bringing total construction costs to $2,266,954. Architectural and engineering fees, furnishings, legal fees, and other “soft costs” account for the rest.

Selectmen plan to use $400,000 from the unexpended fund balance to offset the cost, with $250,000 coming from taxation and $2 million from a bond.

25 February 2018