Officials eye Town Hall renovations

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BFTownHall2BEACON FALLS — Officials are considering giving a makeover to the bottom floor of Town Hall.

On Monday night the Board of Selectmen discussed the issue of the layout of floor at its monthly meeting.

“We have a challenge where we are tight for space down there,” First Selectman Gerard Smith said.

Smith said at this time of year, when tax bills are being collected, people from other departments lend a hand in the tax office. The problem is that there is only one window where the payments can be collected, he said.

Building Inspector Doug Coulter has been working on designs to better utilize the pace, Smith said.

“We have a lot of wasted space down there,” Smith said.

Utilizing the space better is only part of what would happen down there, Smith said.

“We also have an HVAC problem where some rooms are freezing, some rooms are burning up,” Smith said.

Smith said Town Hall has the same problem as the town discovered about the senior center recently. The heating and cooling equipment is so old that it is impossible to find replacement parts for them any longer.

“The boiler is from 1980 and you can’t get parts for it. Same with the air conditioning unit out there,” Smith said.

Smith said because of the heating and air conditioning work that would go into the project the scope of it is larger than he originally thought.

“It started out where we were just going to move a couple walls and then, as everything else, it turned into a $100,000 renovation project,” Smith said.

There were no cost estimates for the project and Smith said he was looking into the possibility of using Local Capital Improvement Program grant money for the renovation project.

The Board of Selectmen is scheduled to hold a special meeting July 17 at 4 p.m. to discuss the project.