Where Will Town Hall Employees Go During Repairs?

Repairs will soon begin to fix the structure of town hall, but town employees will need a place to work while they happen.

Amherst DPW director Bruce Berry said that the building needs to be shut down for safety when the repairs begin this summer.

“It will be a short-term inconvenience for a long term benefit,” said Berry.

Amherst Town Hall had to undergo $12,000 of emergency repairs in November after serious flaws were found in the structure. Voters approved $287,000 in spending for further in March, with $87,000 of that coming from the Land Use Change Tax Fund.

The repair project will soon go out to bid and should take an estimated three months to complete. In the meantime, the town needs to find 2,500 square feet of office space to house five distinctly separate departments.

Many factors come into play when it comes to finding a place to put these departments during construction. There needs to be secure storage for money transactions, meeting room space, daytime parking, enough phone lines and data access to town servers.

One option would be to spend about $40,000 for a location on Pierce common, but septic and temporary power could pose an issue. Another would be to use a commercial opening, but rental costs could reach $100,000 and electricity would be extra.

The central fire station is a viable option since the town already owns it, but it would need necessary upgrades in order to be used.

Berry’s preferred option, setting up in the trailer classrooms outside of Wilkins School, is cheaper and more convenient to use. However, this option would only be available during summer vacation, and lacks central air.

A hybrid option between the fire station and rental trailer space is also on the table, according to Berry.

The town is still early in the planning process, and will be considering all options as bidding begins. More conversation on this topic will take place at tonight’s Board of Selectmen meeting.