March 15, 2021 at 10:28 a.m.
Newbold board unveils $4.1 million referendum proposal
Newbold board unveils $4.1 million referendum proposal
According to town chair Dave Kroll, the goal is inform Newbold taxpayers of the proposal ahead of the April 6 referendum vote.
"Tonight we are going to explain to you why we're here, how we got here and where we want to go from here," Kroll said.
Jim Staskiewicz, building committee chairman, emphasized that the purpose of the meetings, all held in the fire station to allow for social distancing, was to present information and gain feedback.
"There's not going to be any motions, there won't be any votes," Staskiewicz said, adding that the committee's goal was to come up with the best options at the cheapest price to the township.
"I think we came up with the two options that are livable," he said.
Jackie Cody outlined the history of the project, which dates back to April 2016 when the electors at the annual meeting approved forming the building committee. The stated goal of the committee was to seek proposals to update and address the known problems with the town hall.
Not much work was done in 2017 or '18, as the board was focused on getting the Newbold Outdoor Recreation Area (NORA) completed. In April 2019 the committee submitted a building analysis report to the electors at the annual meeting.
Going into 2020, the committee finalized the approach it wanted to pursue, but restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic prevented meetings from being held from March to June 2020 and also limited how much public input could be obtained. By the end of 2020, the committee and board agreed on the wording of the referendum question and the informational meetings were scheduled.
The question the voters will be asked is as follows: Should the Town of Newbold borrow up to 4.1 million dollars for reconstruction of an ADA compliant town hall to include secure offices, essential meeting spaces, a new toilet room, kitchen and vestibule; along with the construction of a new town shop and garage which includes upgrading the existing shop to remain as cold storage?
Melody Hamlin, project manger with Funktion Design Studio, a firm hired to provide architectural and engineering design services for the project, gave a Powerpoint presentation explaining the issues with the current town hall and shop.
While structurally sound, the town hall was found to be needing a new roof. In addition, the exterior facade was failing in places, allowing materiel joints to open up. This has led to the building not being weathertight, with excessive air infiltration throughout the building envelope, Hamlin said.
The study showed that the town hall was originally the fire station, and was heavily modified for the new role. The present bathroom is out of service and not in compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act provisions.
An addition was constructed in 1984, but that has non-compliant light switching and offers limited occupancy and storage. It also is not ADA accessible and the kitchen and bathrooms are not ADA compliant. In addition, the town office space is lacking, along with a place for secure storage of records.
Mechanically, the building's basement furnace is in fair condition, but the make up air system has reached the end of its usual life. There are no air conditioning or humidity controls, the plumbing is outdated, the septic field is at the end of its useful life, the electrical panels are original to the 1970 construction of the building and the lighting is a mixture of technology and controls, according to Hamlin.
According to Hamlin's report, the existing town shop, built in 1964, lacks functional space, even with a 1991 addition. The exterior envelope is not weathertight, the masonry block is spalling, and there are problems with doors, windows. It lacks separate, dedicated space for offices, meetings, training and crew. The entire building is not ADA compliant, the heating system is inefficient and there is no air conditioning, she added.
Hamlin said the 1991 wood structure addition to the town shop is in such poor condition, to include cracking to the foundation and slab, her recommendation would be to tear it down, and leave the original building for cold storage.
The town hall would be reconfigured so that one side of the building would be dedicated to office space while enhancing the community side by better organizing it for meetings and large gatherings. An ADA compliant kitchen and women's bathroom would be built at the rear of the meeting room. The existing bathroom would be brought into compliance and a pair of ADA compliant bathrooms will also be added outside that can be accessed from the adjacent playground area.
"It will be able to accommodate 70 comfortably," Hamlin said of the renovated community side.
The town office side would include a records vault, a conference room and a secure reception area.
The exterior siding, roof and parking would be replaced, the electrical service would be improved, a new septic field would be built and a well drilled.
With the two additions, the town hall would expand to 7,192 gross square feet.
Hamlin's estimate of the cost of the work to the town hall was $1.4 million.
The new town shop would be built adjacent to the present location on Bridge and Black Lake roads and would be 11,292 gross square feet. It would have four distinct areas: wash bay, vehicle storage bay, two repair bays and a dedicated administrative area. The later would include an office, crew locker room, break room, bathroom and storage.
At present, drivers have to remove snowplow blades and wings from the trucks before they can be parked inside, Hamlin noted. Even then the trucks barely fit, and there is little room for anything else when they are inside, including repair work, she said. The new facility is designed with modern vehicles in mind and would allow all of the town trucks to be stored inside with the plows and blades still on.
The cost of the work on the town shop is $2.7 million, including all new utilities and septic field.
To finance the project, the town would like to borrow the $4.1 million for 20 years. This would increase the tax levy by $271,632, increasing the property tax on a home with an assessed value of $100,000 by $51.29.
Kroll said the town is currently debt free, something he takes pride in maintaining.
"Legally, we could borrow a little over $27 million dollars without asking your (voters) permission," he said, adding that while it might be legally permissible,nobody on the town board would consider such an action. "Clearly we're not going to do this without public support because these are your buildings, you are co-owners in everything you see here."
If the referendum fails, the project costs will only increase, as they have over the period where past efforts to get the work to the voters was delayed, he added.
"Because we kicked the can down the road, the cost is now double," Kroll said. "If the referendum comes back and the people say no, we don't want you to do that, I think it would be very difficult for this town board, even if it is legally allowed to or not, to pursue redoing your town hall," he said.
If approved by the voters April 6, construction would begin in April 2022 with a March 2023 projected open date.
After the evening session, Kroll said the overall mood of those in attendance at the first two sessions seemed to be positive.
The Powerpoint presentation, as well as answers to common questions, can be found on the town website www.newboldtown.com. Two more in-person informational sessions will be held March 16 at 3 and 6:30 p.m. at the town fire station.
Jamie Taylor may be reached via email at [email protected].
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