Town Hall Sites Discussed At Workshop

by Bea Peterson
The Town of Hoosick Board held a workshop meeting on Monday, August 29, at 6 pm. The topic of the meeting was the site review and possible floor plans put together by engineer Bill Cottrell for the three buildings under consideration for the Town Hall. Cottrell presented the Board with three drawings. The layouts were not exhaustive, he said, and were based on the Town’s needs. They outlined the exiting of buildings and the changes required. He suggested Board members take time to look over the plans before going to the next step, which would be cost estimates.
Cottrell told the Board that the Armory was the best structure of the three, but the most energy inefficient. He told them they would absolutely have to rezone the heat. “This building has a lot going for it,” he said. “Weeb’s is the next best building and footprint. It’s the right size and flow.” There is not, however, a lot or room for expansion should the Town and Village one day merge. Cottrell advised the Board to think carefully about whatever they are going to do because they are going to invest a lot of money. And what will the building look like in the end, he asked. He pointed out that eventually Patire’s will have to be resided. Part of Patire’s needs a new roof, and Weeb’s needs a whole new roof. “These are all things you should be aware of,” he said. When asked, he responded that with Weeb’s and Patire’s they would have to put as much money into one as the other.
With further questions, Cottrell responded that it makes sense to invest in the Armory if the purchase price is $1. Cottrell said the first thing to do is work on the heat. He suggested putting up new sheet rock throughout the office areas with six inches of insulation behind it and adding dropped ceilings.
Supervisor Keith Cipperly distributed information regarding the cost of the Whitehall Armory when that was closed. He also had information stating that the Town would take over the utilities for the Armory starting October 1 for six months.
Some discussion followed regarding the purchase of the Armory. Councilman Louis Schmigel is adamant that if the Town buys the Armory for $1, with stipulations on it, and thousands are spent to upgrade it, he does not want it to revert to the State if the Town no longer wants it for a Town Hall. The Board is also not clear on what updates the State will demand they make to the building. Cipperly also wondered if the building could be appraised and the Town buy it outright.
Councilman Mark Surdam said whatever they do they are committing to a long term. “We are committed to the Town and to this building for a long time, and it has been used for this community for a long time.” He believes that the $1 price is not an issue. Schmigel pointed out that in the new plan half the big room/gym would be gone, turned into office space. Cottrell offered an alternative to keep the gym and build a second floor over it. Councilman Bob Ryan added that there is no other place in Town that can hold more than 125 people. Schmigel asked if there was somewhere to go to find the answers to their questions. Cottrell offered the giant building code manual as the source of the information. That was not the answer Schmigel was looking for as all the Board members have full time jobs and are trying to work on this project during their spare time.
Further discussion ensued. Both Ryan and Surdam have been in touch with NYS legislators but have had no feedback from them at this point. They will continue to pursue them and find out about grants, funding and whatever is necessary for them to make a decision.
At the conclusion of the meeting the Board asked Cottrell to put together cost estimates for the three buildings already under consideration and for a new structure as well. Cottrell told them he would “endeavor to give you the costs of the buildings with a plus or minus ten percent.” Based on the time Cottrell needs to put the information together, the Board set the next workshop session for Monday, September 26, at 6 pm. The meeting is open to the public.