Report  to the Community: the Town Hall Project

Click here to view the September 01, 2009 info regarding the Town Hall.

[following is the March 12, 2009 revision]

This report, prepared by the town board, is intended to provide information to the residents of West Bloomfield following the two town meetings on February 17 and February 21 regarding the town hall. This information is presented for the scrutiny of the residents of West Bloomfield and might be referred to as a “snapshot” of where we are at this point in time. The entire process continues to evolve. The report consists of three, sometimes overlapping sections.

 The first section provides a compilation of ideas, suggestions and recommendations put forth by all parties regarding the town hall. They are listed in a random order with no attempt to sort in any way. Each has been, or in some instances is being examined, scrutinized and evaluated by the town board. We apologize for any that may have been omitted and request those with additional or new ideas contact the town.

 The second section deals with financial issues. It will list the estimated costs of some of the possible selections, as well as a basic cost table so the residents can estimate as closely as possible the annual cost to their taxes. The figures presented are based on information from obtained primarily from our town engineers. These should be viewed as estimated figures only, not necessarily as verifiable hard facts. As the process proceeds, we fully expect to be able to provide more specific information.

 The third section will describe the two decisions made by the town board at this point in time, as well as the course of action currently being undertaken to resolve our needs. 

SECTION ONE

Compilation of  opinions/comments /ideas from the general public regarding the town hall 

-proceed with building a new town hall, a 4000sq.ft. 1-story building with a walkout basement 

-rebuild/renovate the existing town hall 

-sell the current town hall and let the new owner deal with the building 

-find an existing parcel with a structure which could be renovated 

-build a modular, as described by the Corcraft Rep 

-build a new town hall on the Prouty Park property 

-have the fire departments utilize old town hall as a training exercise 

-buy the Pinegrove[aka.former Saxby Sales] Property adjacent to the post office. Has a 1960 double-wide manufactured structure resting on cinder blocks, 2.7 acres, listed at $165,000 

-adding to or using parts of the existing town structures within the maintenance garage or fire hall facility 

-demolish the old town hall and turn the corner into a park 

-develop a plan for how to decide 

-build an environmentally “green” building utilizing the latest in energy saving technology-initial cost may be higher but would be less expensive in long run and grant money may be available 

-examine fuel cell technology to power a new town hall-being done currently at East Rochester schools 

-demolish existing town hall and rebuild in present location, would retain present community core, would require sewage pump capability and remote location to treat and disperse effluent 

-put new town hall on a slab on Prouty Park property 

-explore funding opportunities at the state and federal level-grants, low interest loans, stimulus money 

-look at additional sites to place a new town hall 

-examine/visit town halls of other towns to gather ideas 

-use the Canadice Town Hall plan to build our town hall-why reinvent the wheel?

FINANCIAL
These represent estimated costs, except where known values are stated

Estimated cost to rebuild/renovate present structure to last an additional 50 years [see Chatfield and Larsen documents for details] does not include any remodeling or redesign of present interior    $1.2 million   Source: 2004 Chatfield Needs Analysis, 2009 Larsen Structural Inspection

Currently listed price of  Pinegrove [Saxby] Property, 2.7 acres, 1960 doublewide on cinder blocks    $165,000   Source: Nothnagle Realty

Cost of  Town of Kingston Town Hall by Cor Craft, modular construction, 5500sq.ft., $400,000 Cor Craft + $500,000 General Contractor additional expense,  $900,000 Total, Source:  Cor Craft and field trip to Kingston by Supervisor Champlin-met with principals

Estimated cost of building new –conventional stick type  $160 per sq. ft., would vary dependent upon individual choices such as level of  insulation, heat/energy source, grants available and so on. Based on Canadice model.  Source: Chatfield Engineers

Estimated value of Present town hall if sold  $50-80,000, Building and lot have not been evaluated by qualified realtors or a certified appraiser who are bettered qualified than listed source Source: Chatfield Engineers

Estimated cost to demolish present building  $40,000 and up- no one could give firm estimate-based on cost to demolish similar building a few years ago in E. Bloomfield

Cost of Canadice Town Hall, built 2002, 5000sq.ft., conventional stick type construction, $465,000  Source: Kris Singer, Supervisor, Town of Canadice

Estimated cost to replicate Canadice Town Hall, 2010, based on annual cost increase of 7%, $799,000  Source: Chatfield Engineers- estimate of annual increase

Homeowner cost guide-this is a rough estimate to give “average” figures so residents have some idea what to expect in terms of how they will be affected, the annual cost would be added to the property owners town tax bill. These figures are for example only. Based on information provided by Chatfield Engineers.

 Assessed house value  $115,000
Amount bonded  $800,000-30years@5%
Rate  $0.391 per $1000 assessed value
Cost per year  $44.96 average

In conclusion, the true cost of a new town hall cannot be accurately determined at this point in time. Until the specifics of construction ,location, availability of grant/stimulus money, as well as the then current status of the economy as well as other factors which we may very well be unaware of  are determined, it is not possible to indicate the actual cost of this project. The information listed strictly for informational purposes only.

COURSE OF ACTION

After careful consideration, the town board has determined the probable course of action.

At the February 25, 2009 workshop meeting the board made two decisions regarding the town hall matter. They are:

1. Replace the present town hall.
2. Focus only on the town hall issue: determine the size of the new building, determine the location of the new building, determine the type of construction for the new building

As the process continues, we will do our best to keep the town fully informed as to what is progressing.  As events develop, they can be monitored by reading the minutes from town board meetings/workshops on the town website: townofwestbloomfield.org

1. Chatfield Engineers report
1. Adobe PDF format (1.5Mb)
2. Microsoft PowerPoint format (4.3Mb)
    
2. Jim Salmon report
(1.6Mb)

1. Larsen Engineers - pictures - 03/05/2009

    

PowerPoint Viewer 2003 (2 Mb)

PowerPoint Viewer 2007 (26 Mb)