moretownlibrary-valsp

Preserve the past, embrace the future

Project Overview
What is the Town Hall Revitalization Project?
Why now?
How was the project developed and who was involved?
What are the Goals?

Project Cost & Funding Sources
How much does the project cost?
How much has been spent so far?
Have you tried to get grant funding for the project?
How much has been raised through the Capital Campaign?

Community Engagement
What do you want to do at the Town Hall?
What would you support at Town Hall?

Project Alternatives
What can we cut from the project to reduce the expense?
Can we do the project in phases?
Why not just build a new building for the library and a community center?
How about moving the library into the school if the school closes?

FAQ
Who uses the building and how is it used?
Aren’t there flooding issues at Town Hall?
When was the last time money was spent on the building?

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Project Alternatives

What can we cut from the project to reduce the expense?

Given the integrated nature of the work to be done, there aren’t any easy options to remove. The current construction plans address only the most immediate needs of the building, without any extras and do not include several other maintenance needs of the building including a new roof, handrail and porch, interior or exterior painting, new flooring, or furniture.

Can we do the project in phases?

This approach will increase the overall cost of the project, and the work that needs to be done does not lend itself to completing it piecemeal. For example, once work has started on the stairway and lift portion of the project, the current kitchen along with plumbing and electrical systems will be affected, which in turn impacts the entire building.

Why not just build a new building for the library and a community center?

It will be much more expensive. Renovating the Town Hall will cost roughly $237/sq ft, while new construction in Vermont can be closer to $500/sq ft. The new Warren Town Garage, for example, is projected to be a $9.7 million dollar project. The recent multi-year renovation and expansion project for the Brandon Free Public Library in Vermont was approximately $4 million.

There are very limited site options within the village and town in general where a new community center or library could be built.

The historic Town Hall building will still be here and in need of repair or demolition.

How about moving the library into the school if the school closes?

We don’t know whether and when this will happen. The School Board discussed closing the school in the past beginning in 2017, and is just now embarking on reopening community engagement and discussion around school consolidation. Any decisions will be years in the making.

The school building is also a much larger space than the library could utilize. The town would then need to incur the costs of maintaining the entire school building and determining other compatible uses for the extra space.

The historic Town Hall building will still be here and in need of repair or demolition.